Dec. 28, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Iowa erased a 17-point second half deficit and held on to a thrilling 58-56 triumph over Minnesota in Thursday night’s Big Ten opener at Williams Arena. The win is Iowa’s first in four tries at Williams Arena under Coach Bluder.
The 17-point rally marked Iowa’s second largest second-half comeback under Coach Bluder. The Hawkeyes previously expunged a 19-point deficit vs. Indiana in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
“I can’t credit our team enough the way they came back in the second half,” said an excited Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder. “This was a great win for our basketball team on the road in a difficult environment against a good opponent.”
Iowa (9-5, 1-0) was led by Wendy Ausdemore, who had a tremendous game sparking the Hawkeyes. The sophomore, scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half. The 23 points matched a career high. Ausdemore was 7-9 from the field, including 4-5 from 3-point range, and 5-5 from the foul line.
In addition to Ausdemore’s heroics, sophomore Kristi Smith collected a career-high 10 assists to go along with her seven points and junior Krista VandeVenter added 10 points. VandeVenter, who is a Minnesota native, has now netted double figures three consecutive games.
Minnesota’s defense stifled the Hawkeyes in the first 20 minutes as Iowa was unable to generate much offense. Iowa attempted only 21 field goals in the first half, compared to 37 by the Gophers. The home team feasted on Iowa first-half miscues, with 14 of its first 28 points coming after Hawkeye turnovers.
Iowa led 6-4 early in the contest, but Minnesota went on a 12-2 run to establish a 16-8 lead midway through the first half. The Gophers forced 16 Hawkeye turnovers in the first half, but only six in the second half.
After a sluggish first half, Iowa stormed back in the second half. The Hawkeyes opened the second stanza on a 22-6 run to reclaim a one-point advantage (40-39) with 11:00 left, never looked back and held on for the victory. Iowa out-scored Minnesota 40-23 in the second half to rally for the win.
Iowa’s 12 steals equal a season high. The Hawkeyes scored 14 of their 16 points off Minnesota turnovers in the second half.
Iowa started the game making three of its first four shots from the field, but closed the half making only four of 17. A Kelly Roysland fade-away 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Minnesota a 33-18 halftime cushion. The Gophers limited Iowa to only three points the last seven minutes of the half.
Minnesota (8-6, 0-1) was led by Roysland, who scored a team-high 16 points. Brittany McCoy and Korinne Campbell each contributed 10 points in defeat. The Gophers shot only 32 percent (22-69) from the field for the game.
Iowa will look to win its third consecutive game Sunday when it welcomes seventh-ranked Ohio State (10-1, 0-0) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2:05 p.m.