Women's Basketball October 30, 2007

Hawkeyes Host Nebraska-Omaha Friday

Oct. 30, 2007

THE SETTING
The Iowa women’s basketball team will host Nebraska-Omaha in its first exhbition contest Friday. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Tickets are $3 for adults, while UI students and children 18-years-and-under will be admitted free.

TICKETS
Season ticket prices remain the same for the 2007-08 women’s basketball season. A reserved general public seat is $70 and UI faculty and fans that are 55 and over is $56.

ON THE RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Friday night’s exhibition for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on WHO 1040-AM in Des Moines, WMT 600-AM in Cedar Rapids and KXIC 800-AM in Iowa City. Balbinot enters his fourth season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till enters her third providing analysis.

Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats (gametracker). The gametracker link can be accessed under “Upcoming Events” on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page.

PROMOTIONS
One lucky Hawkeye fan will win an iPod Shuffle, while another will win an iTunes gift card during the second half of Friday night’s game.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 938 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 568-370 (.605). That includes a 283-141 (.667) mark in Big Ten games and a 259-78 (.769) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA-OMAHA
Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) returns three starters from a team that went 16-12 a year ago. The Mavericks lost six of their last eight games in 2006-07.

UNO lost its top two scoring threats from last year in Karen Thies (17.1 ppg) and Ashley Freerksen (12.4 ppg). Thies also led the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), while Freerksen ranked second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). The Mavericks’ top returning players are sophomore Alyssa Green and junior Cayla Hargrove. Green, who played prep basketball at Cedar Rapids Washington, averaged 10.3 points and led the team in assists (3.8 apg). Hargrove averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.

The Mavericks have three other Iowans on their roster: junior Amanda Brodsack (Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood CC), sophomore Heather Minssen (Underwood, Underwood HS) and junior Ellen Majewski (Greene, North Butler HS).

Patty patton Shearer enters her fourth season as UNO’s head coach.

PRE-SEASON RANKINGS
Iowa has been picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by a selected media panel and seventh by the league coaches. Ohio State, a team that has won outright or shared the last three regular season conference titles, IS picked to win its fourth straight. Wisconsin senior Jolene Anderson was selected as the pre-season Player of the Year by both voting groups.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
? UNO’s Heather Minssen and Iowa’s Wendy Ausdemore played against each other in high school. Minssen’s Underwood HS was in the same conference as Ausdemore’s Tri-Center HS.
? It will be a game day decision as to Iowa’s starter at power forward (VandeVenter or Hamlin).
? Megan Skouby (84) is only two blocks from matching fifth-place Cathy Marx’s total of 86 on Iowa’s career blocks list. Also, Johanna Solverson (802) is only seven points from equaling 28th-place Laurie Aaron’s total of 809 in the Hawkeyes’ career scoring chart.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Eight Hawkeye regular season games will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, including three road games and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge vs. Georgia Tech in Iowa City. Additionally, up to four Iowa home contests will be televised locally on KCRG-TV9 and its road game at in-state rival Iowa State (Dec. 2) will be aired on Mediacom’s local connections channel.

CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
The Hawkeyes could play 22 of 29 regular season games against teams that competed in 2007 post-season tournaments, including seven that participated in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa will play 18 games (two exhibitions) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the most regular season home contests in school history. Iowa will only leave the state twice the first two months of the season (at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, November 22-23 and at Michigan, December 30). Additionally, Iowa will have a 12-day layoff between games in mid-December (Dec. 9-22).

Four of Iowa’s opponents this season are ranked in pre-season publications (Arizona State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin).

SILVER ANNIVERSARY
Iowa will honor and celebrate the 1992-93 team that posted a 27-4 overall record, captured first place in the Big Ten with a 16-2 mark and advanced to the Final Four in Atlanta. The team will be recognized at halftime of the February 17th game vs. Minnesota.

HAWKEYES RETURN THREE ALL-BIG TEN PERFORMERS
Iowa returns third team all-Big Ten performers Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith and honorable mention honoree Megan Skouby from a year ago. All three juniors averaged double figures last season to lead the Black and Gold. Smith averaged a team-best 13.4 points, followed by Skouby (13.2) and Ausdemore (12.7).

SOLVERSON RETURNS FOR SIXTH SEASON
Johanna Solverson has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing the last two seasons due to consecutive ACL tears in her right knee. The 6-2 small forward played in all but one game her first three seasons. One of Iowa’s most versatile players, she boasts a career average of 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.67 steals in 94 games.

Solverson becomes only the second Iowa women’s basketball player to receive a sixth year from the NCAA. Simone Edwards (1993-97) received a sixth year after suffering two season-ending knee injuries. Edwards played two full seasons and a partial third with the Hawkeyes after transferring to Iowa from Seminole Junior College.

IN THE 2006-07 RANKINGS
Last season, Iowa ranked second in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (.402), fifth in free throw percentage (.788) and 23rd in assists (16.0). Individually, Wendy Ausdemore ranked 14th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.416) and Kristi Smith ranked 21st in free throw percentage (.858).

FRESH FACES
Iowa adds two freshmen and one sophomore transfer to its roster this season. After transferring to Iowa from Kansas State and not competing in games last season, JoAnn Hamlin (Douglass, KS) is a welcome addition. Also added to the mix are freshmen Kachine Alexander (Minneapolis, MN) and Kelsey Cermak (Norwalk, IA).

HAMLIN RETURNS TO GAME COMPETITION
After sitting out last season due to transfer rules, sophomore JoAnn Hamlin is ready to hit the hardwood.

As a freshman at Kansas State in 2005-06, Hamlin started 31-of-33 games, averaging 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds.

In three exhibiton contests against the Greek National Team this past May, Hamlin averaged 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.

AUSDEMORE RECEIVES ACADEMIC HONOR
Wendy Ausdemore earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine District VII academic all-America recognition on Feb. 8. Ausdemore, who was the only sophomore named to either the first or second team in District VII, has a 3.83 cumulative GPA and is majoring in pre-business.

HOME GROWN HAWKEYES
Iowa’s roster features five players from the state of Iowa (Wendy Ausdemore, Kelsey Cermak, Abby Emmert, Stacy Schlapkohl and Nicole VanderPol). The Hawkeyes also have two players from Illinois (Jenee Graham and Johanna Solverson) and Minnesota (Kachine Alexander and Krista VandeVenter). Iowa’s 12-person roster also features players from Colorado (Kristi Smith), Kansas (JoAnn Hamlin), Michigan (Lindsey Nyenhuis) and Ohio (Megan Skouby).

BLOGGING
Iowa Hawkeye fans will again be treated to behind-the-scenes information this season as seniors Jenee Graham and Johanna Solverson and junior Lindsey Nyenhuis will blog during the season, which will be posted on hawkeyesports.com. The trio will share their thoughts on practices, games, road trips, and everything else concerning the program.

IOWA INFORMATION ON THE WEB
Statistics and play-by-play accounts of all 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 Hawkeye 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 6-7 p.m. The first show is set for November 12.

Fans can call toll-free at (800) 332-5401 or locally at (319) 365-0600. The show originates from Bob’s Your Uncle restaurant on the eastside of Iowa City.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will play its last exhibition contest Thursday, Nov. 8 when it hosts Missouri Western. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes open the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 11 against Dartmouth of the Ivy League. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. in Iowa City.

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