Hawkeyes Host Michigan Thursday

Feb. 5, 2007

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The Setting ? Iowa (11-12, 3-7) will look to snap a five-game losing streak Thursday when it welcomes Michigan (10-14, 3-8) to Iowa City. Tip-off is slated for 7:06 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Thursday will be the only regular season meeting between the Hawkeyes and Wolverines. Tickets are $7 for adults, while youths and UI students will be admitted free.

National Girls and Women in Sport ? Iowa will recognize National Girls and Women in Sports Thursday night. Youth are encouraged to wear their team jersey for a chance to win one of two registrations to a women’s athletic camp this summer. Registration will occur at the North entrance and the drawing will occur during the game.

On the Tube ? Thursday’s game will be televised to a regional cable audience on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Dave Eanet and Suzie McConnell Serio will call the action.

On the Radio ? Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the action for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to Thursday’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.

Iowa History ? Iowa has played 931 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 565-366 (.607). That includes a 280-138 (.670) mark in Big Ten games and a 256-77 (.769) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Scouting Michigan ? Thursday begins a stretch of three-of-four games on the road for the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan has won two of its last three games, with the two victories coming at home vs. Indiana and Northwestern. The Wolverines are 3-7 in road contests, losing seven straight.

Michigan is a balanced scoring team, with no player averaging double figures. Freshman Krista Phillips, who rested a sore knee and did not play on Sunday, leads the team in scoring (8.8), rebounding (4.7) and blocked shots (28). Junior Janelle Cooper ranks second in scoring (8.0) and first in 3-pointers made (29). Sophomore Jessica Minnfield ranks first in assists (56) and second in steals (22).

Sophomore Carly Benson, who entered Sunday’s game vs. Northwestern averaging 6.4 points, poured in a game and career-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds in only 27 minutes of action. The difference in the game was 3-point shooting. Michigan drained 7-19 (.368) from behind the arc, while Northwestern was 0-14 (.000). Benson sank a career-high four triples for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines rank sixth in conference scoring defense (62.4) and rebounding (37.8) and last in scoring (57.4), free throw percentage (.650), field goal percentage (.369), 3-point field goal percentage (.285) and assists (10.08).

Michigan is coached by Cheryl Burnett, who is in her 19th year (354-213, .624) as a head coach and her fourth season (35-77, .313) with the Wolverines.

All-Time Series Record ? Thursday will be the 47th meeting between Iowa and Michigan, with the Hawkeyes boasting a 36-10 advantage in the series. Iowa owns a commanding 18-4 edge in games played in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes have won seven straight contests against the Wolverines, including three consecutive at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan’s last victory over Iowa was a 91-80 triumph on Feb. 14, 2002 in Iowa City. Iowa won both meetings last year, 77-63 in Ann Arbor and 67-55 in Iowa City.

RPI Ratings ? Iowa ranks 81st, while Michigan ranks 120th in the RPI rankings published on February 5, on collegerpi.com/women. Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 27th, while Michigan’s ranks 54th. Currently, the Big Ten is the fourth rated conference behind the SEC, Big XII and ACC.

Iowa, Michigan Notes ? Like Iowa, Michigan is an extremely young team. The Hawkeyes have no seniors and five active sophomores on its roster. The Wolverines have only one senior and nine underclassmen (four freshmen and five sophomores).
? Iowa has only eight active players this week, while Michigan will dress 13.
? Kristi Smith’s free throw percentage of .874 (83-95) currently ranks third-best in Iowa single-season history. Additionally, her .485 (33-68) 3-point field goal percentage ranks second-best. The 5-6 guard shot .415 (22-53) last season from behind the arc.
? Iowa ranks fifth in the country in free throw percentage, 12th in 3-point field goal percentage and 45th in assists per game. Jenee Graham ranks 68th in the nation in rebounds per contest, Kristi Smith ranks 19th in free throw percentage and Megan Skouby ranks 27th in foul shooting and Wendy Ausdemore ranks 35th in 3-point field goal percentage and 98th in 3-pointers made.
? Wendy Ausdemore has made two or more 3-pointers 16 times this season, including in nine-of-ten Big Ten contests. Additionally, Kristi Smith has drained at least one triple in nine straight games.
? Iowa has three players who are shooting over 87.8 percent from the foul line in league contests. Wendy Ausdemore ranks first in the Big Ten (.950, 19-20), Kristi Smith ranks third (.912, 31-34) and Megan Skouby ranks ninth (.878, 36-41).
? Iowa is 99-11 when leading at the half in seven years under Coach Bluder. Iowa is 81-14 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 33-1 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Iowa is 10-0 when having a higher field goal percentage, 9-3 when opponents shoot less than 40 percent from 3-point range this season. The Hawkeyes are also 9-3 when having more assists.
? The Hawkeyes have lost all five of its games against ranked opponents this season (No. 5 and No. 7 Ohio State, No. 10 Purdue, No. 20 and No. 21 Michigan State).
? Krista VandeVenter has grabbed 590 career rebounds and ranks 12th in Iowa career rebounding. She is 24 rebounds from tying Lynn Kennedy (614) for 11th.
? Kristi Smith ranks third in Iowa’s single-season sophomore rankings for 3-pointers made with 33. Classmate Wendy Ausdemore ranks second with 47.
? Iowa is 7-2 in games played on February 8, including winning the last seven contests.

Gage Returns to Iowa City ? Michigan Assistant Coach Shannon Gage returns to Iowa City for the second time since joining the Wolverine coaching staff the summer of 2005. Gage was Iowa’s Director of Basketball Operations for two seasons (2003-05). Gage was a four-year letterwinner at Missouri State University (formerly known as Southwest Missouri State) and played for current Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Burnett.

Skouby Sidelined ? Starting center Megan Skouby will be out of action 2-4 weeks after breaking a bone in her non-shooting hand (left) during practice last Saturday. The sophomore played in 51 consecutive contests, including 40 starts before suffering the injury.

Skouby ranks first in team scoring (14.4), blocked shots (32) and second in rebounding (5.1). With Skouby sidelined, Iowa’s competitive roster has dwindled to eight players.

Last Meeting ? Iowa snapped a two-game losing skid with a 67-55 victory over Michigan in front of 5,061 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 19, 2006.

The Hawkeyes didn’t shoot the ball well (38.6%), but did outrebound the Wolverines by eight (40-32). Krista VandeVenter controlled a game-high 11 rebounds.

Iowa had four players net double figures, led by Megan Skouby’s 14 points. Eight of Skouby’s 14 points came from the foul line. Kristi Smith tallied 11, while seniors Tiffany Reedy and Crystal Smith each added 10 points. All of Crystal Smith’s 10 points came in the first period.

Kristi Smith posted then-career highs in rebounds (5) and steals (3). In addition to scoring 10 points, Crystal Smith collected four rebounds, five assists and three steals in only 27 minutes of action.

Michigan was led by Jessica Minnfield, who recorded a game-high 20 points. Janelle Cooper and Stephanie Skrba each scored 10 points in the losing effort.

Iowa built a 10-point advantage (18-8) in the first 11 minutes and never looked back. The Wolverines closed the deficit to five points (23-18) with 4:40 remaining in the half, but the Hawkeyes closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a commanding 32-20 lead into the break. Iowa led by as many as 20 points in the second half en route to its seventh-straight victory over Michigan.

The Hawkeyes forced 19 turnovers and converted Michigan’s miscues into 14 points.

Last Time Out ? Fifth-ranked Ohio State topped Iowa 85-49 on Sunday afternoon at Value City Arena.

Iowa was without 6-6 Megan Skouby, who broke her hand in practice a day before the game.

The win was the Buckeyes’ 26th in a row at home to tie a school record. It was also Ohio State’s 14th straight win since falling 75-51 at No. 9 LSU on Dec. 10, and 27th in a row against Big Ten teams.

Jessica Davenport, the conference’s top scorer and rebounder, also became only the second Big Ten player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

She hit 6-7 shots from the field, 10-11 free throws and also had five rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals in 29 minutes.

She received a standing ovation in the second half after it was announced to the crowd that she had reached 1,000 rebounds.

Brandie Hoskins added 16 points, six assists and four rebounds, Star Allen had 11 points and Marscilla Packer 10 for the Buckeyes, off to their best start ever. They have won 36 of their past 37 regular-season games.

Wendy Ausdemore had 12 points and Lindsey Nyenhuis 11 for the Hawkeyes.

Skouby is one of the few post players in the Big Ten who can match up with Davenport. She was replaced in the starting lineup by 6-3 Stacy Schlapkohl, who started her 22nd career contest.

The Hawkeyes scored first but the Buckeyes then ran off the next 16 points — Davenport scoring seven points on the inside.

Iowa recovered from that early drought of nearly six minutes to pull to 25-18 before Stephanie Blanton hit a triple from the right corner and Allen made a short shot off an assist from Maria Moeller.

Leading 45-32 at the half, Ohio State then went on a 14-0 run to start the second half.

The Buckeyes converted Iowa’s 23 turnovers into 41 points and held a 38-4 upper hand in scoring in the paint.

The Buckeyes’ home winning streak matches a school record set in 1987-88. The streak equals the second-longest in the country, tying Bowling Green at 26 behind LSU’s 42-game streak.

Final Game Notes ? Sunday was the 47th meeting between Iowa and Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won eight straight against the Hawkeyes, including the last seven at the Value City Arena. Iowa now leads the all-time series by a slim 24-23 margin. Ohio State improved to 14-0 in home games this season and has now won 26 straight home contests, dating back to December, 2005.
? Ohio State’s 36-point victory (85-49) was the largest margin of victory in the series, besting a 27-point Buckeye triumph in 2001 (79-52). The 36-point setback was Iowa’s largest of the season.
? Iowa scored only 17 second-half points, which equals the fewest points ever scored by the Hawkeyes in the second half of a Big Ten game (17 vs. Purdue on Feb. 11, 1996).
? Ohio State had a better shooting percentage than Iowa, 58 percent (30-52) to 34 percent (17-50), marking the fifth consecutive game Iowa’s opponent had the edge in shooting percentage.
? Sunday marked the second time in five years that the Hawkeyes played at Ohio State on “Super Bowl Sunday”.
? Sophomore Wendy Ausdemore netted a team-high 12 points on 5-12 shooting from the field, including 2-5 from behind the 3-point arc.
? Nicole VanderPol made her first career 3-point field goal from the wing. It was only VanderPol’s second career 3-point field goal attempt.
? Sophomore Lindsey Nyenhuis drained three 3-pointers, marking the ninth time this season she has sank two triples or more in a contest. The last time Nyenhuis made three treys in a game was when she was 3-3 from behind the arc vs. Florida International on Nov. 18, 2006. She finished the game with 11 points, her second highest output of the season (12 vs. Quinnipiac). Nyenhuis also tied a career high with two thefts.
? Iowa was 8-16 (.500) from 3-point range. The Hawkeyes rank second in Big Ten 3-point field goal percentage and fourth in triples made.
? Ohio State posted Iowa opponent season highs in points (85), first half points (45), free throws made (20) and attempted (29), assists (22) first half field goal percentage (.615) and fewest fouls (11).
? After Krista VandeVenter missed an uncontested lay-up to start the second half, the Buckeyes scored 14 straight points to build a 27-point advantage (59-32) 3:30 into the second stanza.
? Sunday’s announced attendance of 9,799 is the largest crowd to see an Iowa game this season.
? Kristi Smith was 2-3 from 3-point range. The sophomore has made 20 of her last 31 (.645) 3-point attempts.

Inside-Outside Threat ? Wendy Ausdemore can score both inside and outside the 3-point arc. The 6-2 sophomore has made 49-109 (.450) of her two-point attempts and 47-117 (.402) from behind the 3-point arc.

Road Warriors ? Iowa has compiled a 7-5 record in games away from Iowa City this season. The Hawkeyes have won four of their last seven road games. Last season, Iowa was 6-9 in road games. The Hawkeyes are 4-7 in home contests this year. Iowa has lost its last five home games, with its last home victory coming over Samford (66-60) on December 3. The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season with four of six at home.

Smith Joining Iowa Point Guard Elite ? Kristi Smith’s numbers are resembling a previous Hawkeye point guard who was an honorable mention all-American honoree, Cara Consuegra.

Smith has amassed 172 assists so far her first two seasons, 82 her freshman year and 90 this year. The native of Thornton, CO, scored 206 points her freshman campaign and 298 so far this season for a total of 504.

Consuegra started her career with 94 assists her freshman year and 153 her sophomore season. She netted 97 points as a freshman and 309 as a sophomore for a total of 406. Below is a comparison between the two point guards.

Quoie Out ? Freshman Zoraa Quoie is from Woodbury, MN, and has been declared academically ineligible for the remainder of the season. She will remain in school and attempt to regain her academic standing for the 2007-08 campaign. Quoie will be able to practice with the team, but will be unable to play in games or travel with the team. The 5-6 guard played sparingly in three games, averaging 2.0 points, 1.3 steals and 1.0 assists.

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 47 triples rank second among sophomores. She needs 13 to tie record-holder Lindsey Meder’s mark of 60 established in 1999-2000.

Skouby’s 32 rejections rank third. She is eight blocks from tying Toni Foster (1990-91) for second place. Tangela Smith (1996-97) is the record holder with 69. Furthermore, Skouby has 79 career blocks, which rank eighth-best in Iowa career annals. She needs only three more to equal Jerica Watson’s total of 82 for seventh place.

Solverson Update ? Senior Johanna Solverson will sit out the remainder of the 2006-07 season and apply for a sixth year of eligibility.

Solverson, a fifth-year senior, suffered a second tear of the anterior cruciate ligament on her right knee during a Game Time League contest last June in North Liberty. Solverson sustained her first ACL injury in July 2005 in a “pick-up” game in Chicago.

Solverson played in all but one game her first three seasons. The only game she missed was vs. Kansas State on December 12, 2003 due to an ankle injury. One of Iowa’s most versatile players, she boasts a career average of 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.02 assists and 1.67 steals in 94 games.

During the 2004-05 campaign, Solverson became only the second Iowa player to amass over 350 points, 125 assists and rebounds and 70 steals in a single season (Michelle Edwards). She averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.12 assists and 2.12 steals in 33 contests.

The native of Lake Zurich, IL, ranks ninth in Iowa career assists (284), 12th in steals (157), 20th in rebounding (408) and 29th in scoring (802).

Double Trouble ? Sophomores Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith have had a fantastic first half to the Big Ten schedule. In conference games only stats, Ausdemore ranks first in free throw percentage (.950, 19-20), second in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) and 3-pointers made (2.5), 11th in field goal percentage (.460) and 12th in scoring (13.6). Smith ranks first in 3-point field goal percentage (.571), second in free throw percentage (.912), fourth in assists (4.4), fifth in 3-pointers made (2.0), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.29), seventh in scoring (14.5), 13th in steals (1.7) and 14th in field goal percentage (.443).

Triple Play ? Iowa has a trio of sophomores averaging double figures in scoring: Megan Skouby (14.4), Kristi Smith (13.0) and Wendy Ausdemore (11.9).

Trio ? Iowa is the only team with three players ranked in the top 13 in conference scoring. Kristi Smith (14.5) ranks seventh, Megan Skouby (14.4) ranks eighth and Wendy Ausdemore (13.6) 12th. The trio are also three of the four highest sophomore scorers in the league, alongside Illinois’ Lori Bjork (15.8), who ranks fourth.

Smith Leads ? Kristi Smith has done a great job leading the Hawkeye offense as point guard. Smith ranks second in team scoring (13.0) and free throws made (83) and first in assists (90).

Smith has led the team in scoring seven times, including scoring 20-plus points a team-best five times, and led the team in steals 13 times.

The native of Thornton, CO, has been on fire during conference play. She ranks high in nine statistical categories in league games only rankings: first in 3-point field goal percentage (.571), second in minutes played (36.10) and free throw percentage (.912), fourth in assists (4.4), fifth in 3-pointers made (2.0), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.29), seventh in scoring (14.5), 13th in steals (1.7) and 14th in field goal percentage (.443).

Jackson Five ? Iowa has had five players score 20 points or more in a single game this season. Kristi Smith has accomplished the feat a team-best six times, Wendy Ausdemore and Megan Skouby three times, Krista VandeVenter twice and Stacy Schlapkohl each once. The Hawkeyes have had a player score 20 points or more eight of the last 11 games.

Freebies ? Iowa has made free throws when it counted — in the last five minutes of games. The Hawkeyes are 91-114 (.798) in the last five minutes, 42-55 (.764) under two minutes and 43-54 (.796) under a minute to play. Iowa made all six of its free throw attempts in the final 20 seconds, leading by single digits, at Indiana on Jan. 11.

Iowa has made 364-464 from the foul line this year. The Hawkeyes’ 78.4 percent shooting from the free throw line is tops in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. Iowa opponents are only 280-403 (.695) from the charity stripe.

The Hawkeyes are well on their way to shattering the school free throw percentage record of .769 (433-563) established in 2002-03.

Behind the Arc ? Iowa is the only Big Ten team with at least three players who have drained over 26 triples this season, Wendy Ausdemore (47), Kristi Smith (33) and Lindsey Nyenhuis (26) — all of whom are sophomores.

As a team, Iowa ranks fourth in Big Ten 3-pointers made (4.91).

Home, Away Comparisons ? Iowa has a higher free throw percentage on the road than at home. The Hawkeyes have converted 81.9 percent (194-237) of its road foul shots, compared to 74.9 percent (170-227) at home. Iowa averages 7.7 more points per game, 4.3 more assists and 2.0 more rebounds at home than on the road. Here are the home and away comparisons:

    FG%  3-PT%   FT% REB AST TO  PTSHome    .437    .381    .749    37.2    17.8    16.8    70.9Away    .411    .385    .819    35.2    13.5    17.9    63.2

Wins, Losses Comparisons ? There are big differentials in the stats between Iowa’s wins and losses. The Hawkeyes score an average of 12.0 more points and shoot 7.7 percent better from the field in their victories. Iowa averages 5.5 more rebounds and 3.1 more assists in wins than losses. Here are the wins and losses comparisons:

    FG%  3-PT%   FT% REB AST TO  PTSWins    .464    .398    .792    39.0    17.2    16.1    73.2Losses  .387    .372    .776    33.5    14.1    18.6    61.2

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 has grabbed double-digit rebounds 11 times and has been Iowa’s leading rebounder in 13 games. Graham corralled a career-high 14 rebounds against Indiana State and Louisiana Tech.

Graham averages 5.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The native of Bolingbrook, IL, ranks fourth in Big Ten rebounding (8.6). Graham has dished out four dimes or more 11 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.

Attendance Rankings ? Iowa ranks 35th nationally in attendance, averaging 3,487 fans. Iowa has ranked in the top-25 fifteen of the last 17 seasons.

Big Ten Rankings ? Iowa ranks first in Big Ten free throw percentage (.784), second in 3-point field goal percentage (.383), third in rebounds allowed (34.3), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (0.90) and 3-pointers made (4.91). Individually, Jenee Graham ranks fourth in rebounding (8.6) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.35). Wendy Ausdemore ranks third in 3-point field goal percentage (.402) and fourth in 3-pointers made (2.04). Megan Skouby ranks fourth in free throw percentage (.858), eighth in blocks (1.45) and scoring (14.4). Kristi Smith ranks second in free throw percentage (.874), fourth in assists (3.91), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.14), 10th in 3-pointers made (1.43), 13th in scoring (13.0) and 15th in field goal percentage (.448).

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.

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.

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 47-117 (.402) from 3-point range. She ranks third in Big Ten 3-point field goal percentage and fourth in 3-pointers made.

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.

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.

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.

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 Hits Milestones ? After garnering her 300th Division I victory in Iowa’s regular season finale vs. Indiana last season, Bluder reached two additional coaching milestones in 2006-07. She coached in her 700th career game and 200th on the Iowa sidelines, both during conference play. The Marion, IA, native has coached in 705 career games (480-225, .681) and 207 contests (124-83, .599) 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).

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).

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 Traveling Overseas in May ? The women’s basketball team will be traveling overseas for 12 days to Greece, May 2007, to play three exhibition games and do some sightseeing.

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.

Hawkeyes Ink Two ? Kachine Alexander and Kelsey Cermak 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.

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.

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.

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 and single-session tickets for the 2007 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Xbox 360 are on sale. All-session tickets are $65, while single-session tickets are $12-$16. Tickets can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151.

More than 21,000 hotel rooms exist throughout the entire Indianapolis metropolitan area. Contact the Big Ten Housing Bureau at indy.org/bigtenwomens for hotel pricing information.

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 ? The Hawkeyes travel to Wisconsin (Feb. 11) before returning home for contests against Illinois (Feb. 15) and Penn State (Feb. 18).