Jan. 2, 2007
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The Setting ? Iowa (9-6, 1-1) will host its second straight top-10 opponent when it welcomes 10th-ranked Purdue to Iowa City on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 6:35 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $7 for adults. Youths and UI students are admitted free.
Number of the Week – – 200 ? Coach Lisa Bluder will be coaching in her 200th game as Iowa’s head coach Wednesday night. Bluder is the second all-time winningest coach at Iowa with a 122-77 (.613) record in seven seasons on the Hawkeye sidelines.
Report Cards Good For Admission ? Elementary school, junior high and high school fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes can gain free admission to upcoming basketball events by presenting a copy of their progress report or report card to receive a free game ticket. The report card exchange will be in effect for Iowa’s home game on Jan. 14 (Michigan State, 2 p.m.).
Elementary students must present a copy of their most recent report card or “progress report”. Junior high and high school students can gain free admission by presenting a copy of their most recent report card with at least one “A” grade.
The cards need to be presented at any of the ticket office windows on game night. The students must be accompanied by an adult, who must have purchased a full-priced ticket. The student tickets may also be exchanged in advance at the Athletic Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Those students who present a copy of their progress report or report card at any of the four basketball events will have a chance to win a home computer system from Best Buy. That drawing will be held Jan. 14 when the Hawkeyes host nationnaly-ranked Michigan State.
Iowa History ? Iowa has played 923 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 563-360 (.610). That includes a 278-132 (.678) mark in Big Ten games and a 256-74 (.776) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
On the Radio ? Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the action for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to Wednesday’s game on WHO 1040-AM in Des Moines, WMT 600-AM in Cedar Rapids and KXIC 800-AM in Iowa City.
The game can also be heard live over the Internet at hawkeyesports.com. Just click “Hawkeye All-Access” at the top right of the page. “Hawkeye All-Access” is a subscription service.
The game can also be heard on XM Satellite radio on Channel, 196.
Iowa vs. Ranked Teams ? Wednesday will be Iowa’s second game against a ranked opponent. Iowa has recorded at least one victory over a ranked opponent in each of Coach Bluder first six years on the Hawkeye sidelines. Iowa lost its last game against a ranked opponent (73-67 to seventh-ranked Ohio State on Dec. 31, 2006). These are Iowa’s most recent wins vs. nationally ranked opponents:
At Home: 77-71 (OT) over 8th-ranked Purdue, 2/2/06On the Road: 78-67 over 18th-ranked Michigan State, 2/1/04Neutral Court: 54-47 over 21st-ranked Oklahoma, 11/27/04
All-Time Series Record ? Wednesday will be the 50th meeting between Iowa and Purdue, with the Boilermakers leading the series 26-23. Iowa holds a 13-8 advantage in games played in Iowa City.
Purdue had won seven consecutive games over Iowa before the Hawkeyes snapped the losing skid with a 77-71 thrilling overtime victory in Iowa City in the last meeting on Feb. 2, 2006.
Scouting Purdue ? The Boilermakers enter Wednesday’s game 13-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Purdue’s only losses came on the road at Connectocut (66-55) and Notre Dame (67-58). The Boilermakers came out of the gates flying, winning the 2006 Preseason WNIT with wins over Belmont, Hartford, NC State and Baylor in November.
The Boilermkares routed Michigan (79-35) and Penn State (70-44) at home in its first two conference games. The Boilermakers won the two contests by an average of 35 points. In its last game against Penn State on Sunday, Purdue led by only four points at halftime but out-scored the Lady Lions by 22 (45-23) in the second half.
Purdue ranks first in Big Ten scoring defense (51.3), field goal percentage defense (.318) and 3-pointers made (5.87). Purdue is led by senior Katie Gearlds, who ranks second in league scoring (17.8), first in free throw percentage (.894) and minutes played (35.13), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.389), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.54) and sixth in assists (3.6). Junior Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton ranks eighth in conference scoring (14.6), second in blocks (3.3), sixth in steals (2.4) and field goal percentage (.558) and seventh in rebounding (8.2). Freshman FahKara Malone ranks first in steals (3.0).
Purdue is coached by Sharon Versyp, who is her first season (13-2, .867) as the Boilermakers head coach and her seventh (130-67, .660) as a collegiate head coach. Versyp was the head coach at Indiana last year before moving up state to Purdue, her alma mater (1989).
Iowa, Purdue Notes ? Iowa is 98-11 when leading at the half in the seven years under Coach Bluder. Additionally, Iowa is 79-12 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 33-1 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Wednesday will feature two of the conferences top shooting teams. Iowa ranks first in free throw shooting (.782), while Purdue ranks second (.771). The Boilermakers rank second in field goal percentage (.472) and 3-point field goal percentage (.386), while the Hawkeyes rank fourth in field goal percentage (.445) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.356).
? Twenty-four percent of Iowa’s offensive production has come from the free throw line with 248 of its 1,029 points coming from the charity stripe.
? Megan Skouby is the only Hawkeye to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back contests (Nov. 18 and Nov. 21). The Hawkeyes have had a different leading scorer the last 10 games.
? Iowa is 8-0 when having a higher field goal percentage, 7-0 when opponents shoot less than 40 percent from 3-point range this season. The Hawkeyes are also 8-2 when having more assists.
? Iowa is 2-5 in games played on January 3.
? Krista VandeVenter has grabbed 523 career rebounds and ranks 14th in Iowa career rebounding. VandeVenter is 13 rebounds from tying Kim Howard (536) for 13th.
Last Meeting ? A trio of Iowa freshmen combined for 57 points en route to a thrilling 77-71 overtime win over eighth-ranked Purdue at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 77 points were the most scored by a Purdue opponent in 2005-06.
Iowa’s triumph halted Purdue’s 13-game overall winning streak and nine-game streak in Big Ten play.
The Hawkeyes trailed the entire game, as much as 11 points in the second half, but a Wendy Ausdemore baseline jumper with 17 seconds left concluded a 6-0 Iowa run to tie the game at 65 and send the contest to overtime.
Iowa scored the first four points of the extra session and never looked back as the Hawkeyes out-scored Purdue 12-6 in overtime.
Hawkeye freshmen Megan Skouby, Kristi Smith and Ausdemore sparked Iowa. Ausdemore tallied a game and career-high 23 points. Smith contributed a career-high 15 points, while Skouby added 19 points. Skouby also posted career bests in rebounds (9) and blocks (5).
Purdue was led by Aya Traore, Erin Lawless and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton. Traore netted a team-high 19 points, Lawless added 16 points and Wisdom-Hylton chipped in with 13. Lawless fouled out of the contest with 1:05 remianing in regulation. The Boilermakers blocked a season-high 10 shots in defeat.
Iowa out-scored Purdue 19-7 at the foul line. The Hawkeyes converted a season-high 90.5 percent (19-21) from the charity stripe.
Double Trouble ? Sophomores Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith have had a fantastic start to the Big Ten schedule leading the Hawkeyes. In conference games only statistics, Ausdemore ranks eighth in scoring (16.5) and third in field goal percentage (.786), 3-point field goal percentage (.750, 6-8) and 3-pointers made (3.0). Smith ranks first in assists (8.5) and steals (4.0) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.83).
No Sophomore Slump ? Wendy Ausdemore and Megan Skouby have already cracked the top-five in sophomore records for 3-pointers made and blocks, respectively.
Ausdemore’s 28 triples tie Leah Magner (1999-00) and Franthea Price (1987-88) for fifth. She needs one more try to tie Jenna Armstrong (2002-03) and Kristi Faulkner (2001-02) for third. The record is 60 established by Lindsaey Meder (1999-2000).
Skouby’s 25 rejections rank third. She is 15 blocks from tying Toni Foster (1990-91). Tangela Smith (1996-97) is the record holder with 69.
Triple Play ? Iowa has three players averaging double figures in scoring: Megan Skouby (14.3), Kristi Smith (12.1) and Wendy Ausdemore (11.4). The Hawkeyes’ top three scorers are sophomores.
Last Time Out ? Jessica Davenport scored 24 points and Marscilla Packer added 23 as Ohio State staved off an upset bid and beat Iowa 73-67 on Sunday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The No. 7 Buckeyes trailed 32-31 at halftime of their Big Ten opener, but Davenport scored 16 points after the break to help them outlast the Hawkeyes.
Iowa pulled within a point with just under 10 minutes left, but a 7-0 run by the Buckeyes – which included a layup and 3-pointer by Packer – made it 61-53.
Kristi Smith answered with a 3-point play, but Packer hit another triple to push Ohio State’s lead to 64-56. The Hawkeyes got within three when Smith curled around the right baseline and made a long jumper to bring the home fans to their feet. But Packer responded again with a deep shot of her own with less than two minutes remaining.
Smith sank a 3-pointer from near the top of the key with just 90 seconds to go, but Davenport caught a lob pass and put in a layup to answer. Iowa didn’t score again.
Davenport, the senior center, who came up just two points shy of tying a season high, led the Buckeyes in their first game back from an 11-day layoff after topping then-No. 3 Oklahoma on Dec. 20.
Iowa had four players in double-figures, led by Smith with 21, and Megan Skouby with a season-high 19.
Final Game Notes ? Kristi Smith’s career-high five steals marked the first time an Iowa player collected five steals in a single-game since Crystal Smith had six thefts at Wisconsin on Jan. 19, 2006.
? Kristi Smith matched a career high with 21 points. She also dished out seven assists. The native of Thornton, CO, has collected 17 assists in Iowa’s first two Big Ten games.
? Junior Krista VandeVenter equaled a career high with six assists to go along with her 11 points and season-high seven rebounds.
? Both Iowa and Ohio State’s starting-five’s accounted for most of their points. Both benches scored only six points each.
? Iowa had 10 steals, compared to Ohio State’s six. It marked only the fourth time this year Iowa amassed more thefts than its opponents.
? Both Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith were a perfect 5-5 from the foul line today. Smith has reached the free throw line five times or more in a single-game eight times this season.
? The six-point loss was Iowa’s seventh consecutive loss to Ohio State.
? Ohio State shot an Iowa-opponent-best 58.3 (28-48) from the field, besting Northern Iowa’s 54.9 percent shooting effort.
Skouby Named to Watch List ? Megan Skouby is one of 50 of the country’s top collegiate women’s basketball players named as preseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy. The preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy, which is presented to the men’s and women’s player of the year, was compiled by the Atlanta Tip-off Club’s Board of Selectors. The board based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2006-07 season.
RPI Ratings ? Iowa ranks 53rd, while Purdue ranks third in the RPI rankings published on January 2, on collegerpi.com/women. Currently, the Big Ten Conference is the nation’s best rated league.
Attendance Rankings ? Iowa ranks 29th nationally in attendance, averaging 3,489 fans. Ohio State ranks just ahead of the Hawkeyes at 28th with a 3,580 average. Iowa has ranked in the top-25 fifteen of the last 17 seasons.
Behind the Arc ? Iowa has three players who have drained over 15 triples this season, Wendy Ausdemore (28), Lindsey Nyenhuis (19) and Kristi Smith (15) — all of whom are sophomores.
As a team, Iowa ranks fifth in Big Ten 3-pointers made (4.47).
Hi-Octane ? The 171 combined points in Iowa’s 88-83 win over Indiana State on Nov. 15, was the highest scoring game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since a 94-83 loss to Minnesota in 2001.
Graham Steps Up ? With Iowa’s leading rebounder (Krista VandeVenter) sidelined for the first seven contests, Jenee Graham stepped up and filled the rebounding void. She grabbed double-digit rebounds in 10-14 contests and has been Iowa’s leading rebounder in 12 games. Graham corralled a career-high 14 rebounds against Indiana State and Louisiana Tech.
Graham averages 5.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.21 assists. The native of Bolingbrook, IL, is the Big Ten’s leading rebounder (10.0) and ranks second in defensive rebounding (7.0). She also ranks 14th in assists (3.27). Graham has dished out four dimes or more seven times this year.
Graham led Iowa in scoring for the first time in her career when she netted a career-high 14 points vs. Northern Iowa.
Freebies ? Iowa has made free throws when it counted — in the last five minutes of games. The Hawkeyes are 61-79 (.772) in the last five minutes, 28-39 (.718) under two minutes and 30-38 (.789) under a minute to play.
Iowa has made 248-317 from the foul line this season. The Hawkeyes’ 78.2 percent shooting from the free throw line is tops in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. Iowa opponents are only 166-237 (.700) from the charity stripe.
Iowa is on pace to break the school record of 512 free throws made, set in 2002-03 and free throw percentage mark of 76.9 set in 2003-04.
Smith Leads ? Kristi Smith has done a great job leading the Hawkeye offense as point guard through 14 games. Smith ranks third in team scoring (11.4), first in assists (4.0) and second in free throws made (53). The sophomore was 7-7 from the line vs. Florida International, 11-12 against Missouri State and 9-10 at Creighton.
Smith has led the team in scoring four times, including scoring 20-plus points twice, and led the team in steals nine times.
Big Ten Rankings ? Iowa ranks first in Big Ten free throw percentage (.782), third in rebounds allowed (34.3) and fourth in field goal percentage (.445) and assist/turnover ratio (0.93). Individually, Jenee Graham ranks second in rebounding (9.7), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.48) and 13th in assists (3.27). Wendy Ausdemore ranks eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.373) and 3-pointers made (1.87). Megan Skouby ranks ninth in scoring (14.3), third in free throw percentage (.863) and sixth in blocks (1.67). Kristi Smith ranks fourth in assists (4.2), fifth in free throw percentage (.841), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.24) and 15th in steals (1.87).
Senior Update ? Redshirt senior Johanna Solverson, who is Iowa’s lone senior, suffered her second ACL tear on her right knee in late June. It is hopeful that she will return to game action in January. She participated in pre-game warmups for the first time at Drake on December 22.
Hawkeyes Honored ? Sophomores Wendy Ausdemore and Megan Skouby were named to the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament team. Skouby was recognized as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Home, Away Comparisons ? Iowa has a higher free throw percentage on the road than at home. The Hawkeyes have converted 82.9 percent (121-146) of its road foul shots, compared to 74.3 percent (127-171) at home. Iowa averages 8.6 more points per game, 5.3 more assists and 3.3 more rebounds at home than on the road. Here are the home and away comparisons:
FG% 3-PT% FT% REB AST TO PTSHome .451 .364 .743 37.6 18.4 15.9 72.6Away .437 .348 .829 34.3 13.1 18.4 64.0
Wins, Losses Comparisons ? There were big differentials in the stats between Iowa’s wins and losses. The Hawkeyes shoot 7.7 percent better from the field, including 4.1 percent from 3-point range in their victories. Iowa averages 5.9 more rebounds and 3.7 more assists in wins than losses. Here are the wins and losses comparisons:
FG% 3-PT% FT% REB AST TO PTSWins .475 .374 .787 38.4 17.4 16.3 74.6Losses .398 .333 .773 32.5 13.7 18.2 75.0
Ausdemore Ties Record ? Wendy Ausdemore tied a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record by an Iowa player when she made five triples vs. Quinnipiac. The sophomore was 5-7 (.714) from behind the arc against the Bobcats. For the season, she is 22-67 (.328) from 3-point range.
Hawkeyes Win WBCA Classic ? Iowa opened the season with two quality road wins, defeating Missouri State (79-70) and Kansas (63-49) to capture the fifth-annual WBCA Classic in Kansas City, MO.
Trifecta ? The Hawkeyes had three sophomores recognized on the WBCA Classic All-Tournament team. Wendy Ausdemore, Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith all earned all-tournament laurels. Skouby was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Skouby averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in the two contests. Smith averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds. Ausdemore averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
All-Big Ten Recognition ? For the second straight year, Iowa has been picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by the media and coaches. Individually, Megan Skouby was named to the pre-season all-conference team by the media and coaches. Skouby is the only sophomore to be recognized; the team is comprised of three seniors, one junior and one sophomore.
Gunning For Seven ? Iowa has posted a winning season each year Coach Bluder has been on the Hawkeye sidelines. The Hawkeyes have strung together six straight winning seasons since the 2000-01 campaign, earning an NCAA Tournament berth four times. The school record for consecutive winning seasons is 11, established 1984-1994.
20-Year Anniversary ? This season marks the 20-year anniversary of Iowa’s first Big Ten regular season championship. Iowa’s 1986-87 team finished the league campaign 17-1 and shared the title with Ohio State. The squad advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Louisiana Tech. Michelle Edwards earned all-America honors, while Franthea Price was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Bluder Approaches Milestones ? After garnering her 300th Division I victory in Iowa’s regular season finale vs. Indiana last season, Bluder will reach two additional coaching milestones in 2006-07. She will coach in her 700th career game and 200th on the Iowa sidelines, both during conference play. The Marion, IA, native has coached in 697 career games (478-219, .686) and 199 contests (122-77, .613) on the Hawkeye sidelines.
In her first six years at Iowa, Bluder guided the Black and Gold to four first division finishes in the highly regarded Big Ten Conference. Iowa’s 56 league wins the last six seasons rank as the fourth-highest total in the Big Ten behind Purdue (75), Penn State (69) and Ohio State (64). She has coached five Hawkeye players to all-Big Ten first team status, three to the second team and three that were named to the all-freshman team.
No Senior Starters ? For the first time under Coach Bluder, Iowa does not have a senior in the starting lineup. Iowa’s starting lineup includes three sophomores (Wendy Ausdemore, Kristi Smith and Megan Skouby) and two juniors (Jenee Graham and Krista VandeVenter).
The last time Iowa did not have a senior starter was the 1999-00 season (two juniors, three sophomores). Iowa has had at least two senior starters every year under Bluder, except the 2002-03 season (center Tracy Schrupp). Below is a list of Iowa’s senior starters under Bluder:
2000-01: Cara Consuegra, Randi Peterson2001-02: Leah Magner, Lindsey Meder, Jerica Watson2002-03: Tracy Schrupp2003-04: Kristi Faulkner, Jennie Lillis2004-05: Jenna Armstrong, Jamie Cavey2005-06: Tiffany Reedy, Crystal Smith="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Underclassmen Stepped Up in 2005-06 ? Last year’s freshman class of Megan Skouby, Kristi Smith, Wendy Ausdemore, Nicole VanderPol and Lindsey Nyenhuis stepped up and accounted for 42.5 percent of Iowa’s offense. The sophomore class of Krista VandeVenter, Abby Emmert and Stacy Schlapkohl was responsible for 20.6 percent of Iowa’s offense. Combined, the underclassmen accounted for 63.1 percent of Iowa’s offense, which bodes well for the future.
Hawkeyes Traveling Overseas in 2007 ? The women’s basketball team will be traveling overseas for 12 days to Greece, August 2007, to play four exhibition games and do some sightseeing.
Home Grown Hawkeyes ? Iowa’s 2006-07 roster features four players from the state of Iowa (Wendy Ausdemore, Abby Emmert, Stacy Schlapkohl and Nicole VanderPol). The Hawkeyes also have two players from Illinois (Jenee Graham and Johanna Solverson) and Minnesota (Krista VandeVenter and Zoraa Quoie). Iowa’s 12-person roster also features players from Colorado (Kristi Smith), Kansas (JoAnn Hamlin), Michigan (Lindsey Nyenhuis) and Ohio (Megan Skouby).
Hawkeye Newcomers ? Iowa’s only freshman is Zoraa Quoie, from Woodbury, MN. Quoie was named to the Miss Minnesota Basketball Senior All-State team her senior season. She was also named to the Star-Tribune third defensive team as a senior. Quoie was a 2005 and 2006 all-conference selection and earned 2004 and 2005 honorable mention all-state laurels. Quoie holds her high school’s record for single-season steals.
Also on the roster this year is JoAnn Hamlin, who transferred from Kansas State. Hamlin cannot compete due to NCAA transfer rules, but can practice with the team and will have three years of eligibility remaining starting in 2007-08. Hamlin played in 33 games last year, with 31 starts at center for the Wildcats. The 31 starts were the fifth-most in the nation among freshmen. She scored in double figures 15 times, reaching the 20-point plateau four times. Hamlin averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds, had a total of 22 blocks and 26 steals.
Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series ? Iowa currently leads the third annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series 11-4 with only three events remaining. Iowa was victorious in women’s soccer (1-0, OT), football (27-17), wrestling (24-6) men’s basketball (77-59) and women’s swimming (181.5-117.5). Iowa State won volleyball (3-2) and women’s basketball (80-74).
The nine-sport series awards two points (except football, which is worth three) to the winning school in each head-to-head match-up between the two institutions. Additionally, two points are awarded to an institution if the graduation rate of its student-athletes is greater than the national average as reported each fall by the NCAA.
Hawkeyes Ink Two ? Kachine Alexander and Kelsey Cermak have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.
Alexander, a native of Minneapolis, is a three-time all-conference honoree. She earned the Best Defensive Player Award at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School her freshman and sophomore years. Her team was three-time conference champions and won the Minnesota State AAA Championship in 2006. The 5-9 forward was named state tournament MVP and earned honorable mention all-state honors her junior year. She averaged 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 assists in 29 starts her junior season.
Cermak, who hails from Norwalk, IA, is a two-time first team all-state honoree and a three-time first team all-conference and all-district selection. She was the Norwalk High School MVP her first three years. The 6-1 guard holds her school’s single-season record for steals (90). She averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals in 26 starts on a team that won the Iowa state and conference championship her junior season. Cermak averaged 18.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 steals her sophomore campaign. Norwalk placed second in its conference her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Blogging ? Hawkeye fans will be treated to behind-the-scenes information this season as sophomore Wendy Ausdemore and junior Abby Emmert will have their own blogs, which will be posted on the women’s basketball page of hawkeyesports.com. The duo will share their thoughts on practices, games, road trips, and everything else surrounding the program.
Iowa Information on the Web ? Statistics and play-by-play accounts of all Big Ten Tournament games will be available live on the internet. The statistical program allows viewers to read the play-by-play action just moments after it takes place, and to view all individual and team statistics while the game is in progress.
The program can be accessed through hawkeyesports.com and then clicking on the `Gametracker’ link.
“Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder” ? Catch “Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder”, the radio call-in program Monday nights featuring Iowa Women’s Head Coach Lisa Bluder, on KXIC-AM 800 in Iowa, WHO-AM 1040 in Des Moines and WMT-AM 600 in Cedar Rapids from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Due to the holidays, the show will go on a two-week hiatus and will resume on Monday, January 8.
Fans can call toll-free at (877) 464-2957. The show originates from Bob’s Your Uncle restaurant on the eastside of Iowa City.
Big Ten Tournament Tickets on Sale ? All-session tickets for the 2007 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Xbox Live are $65. Tickets can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151.
The tournament returns to Indianapolis for the 12th time in 13 years and has attracted more than 30,000 fans for each of the last five events. The 2006 tournament attendance of 38,638 and session average of 7,728 were both event records. In the past 12 years of Big Ten Tournament play, the conference has welcomed more than 353,000 fans. Six different league representatives have become tournament champions. Purdue leads all teams with five titles followed by two championships for both Iowa and Penn State and a single title for Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State.
On the Horizon ? Iowa will hit the road for two games at Northwestern (Jan. 7) and Indiana (Jan. 11). The Hawkeyes’ next home contest will come against Michigan State on Jan. 14. The game against the Spartans will also be Iowa’s annual “Girl Scout Day”.