Women's Basketball November 30, 2007

Iowa to Host Detroit Sunday

Nov. 30, 2007

THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2) remain home to host Detroit (0-4) Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 1:05 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Sunday is “Family Day”, where four tickets, four hot dogs and four cokes cost only $25. Otherwise, tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youths, while UI students who present their ID are admitted free.

ON TUBE
Sunday’s game will be televised live in Eastern Iowa on KCRG-TV9. John Campbell, Amy Herrig and Scott Saville will call the action.

ON THE RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Sunday’s game 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 is in his fourth season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her third providing analysis.

PROMOTIONS
? Players will be available for autographs, after the game, on the concourse.
? Hawkeye fans will be able to obtain the second of four trading card sets Sunday.
? During the second half of every home game, one lucky Hawkeye fan will win an iPod Shuffle, while another will win an iTunes gift card during “Big Ten SuperFan T-Shirt Toss”. Each winner will be included in a final drawing at Iowa’s home finale vs. Northwestern (Feb. 28) for an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis (March 6-10).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 944 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 572-372 (.606). That includes a 283-141 (.667) mark in Big Ten games and a 261-79 (.768) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

ALL-TIME SERIES
This will be the first meeting between Iowa and Detroit. Iowa is 7-2 (.778) against current members of the Horizon League.

SCOUTING DETROIT
Detroit started the season 0-4 and plays at Northern Iowa Friday night. Six of the Titans’ first seven games are on the road. Detroit lost its first four contests to Western Carolina, Auburn, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo.

The Titans averaged 54.0 points, 33.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists through four games. Detroit has been plagued by turnovers, committing 26.8 per game.

Detroit is led by Joyce Massey (8.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Zemora Davis (6.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and India Bruster (7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg).

The Titans return 12 letterwinners, including all five starters from last year’s squad that finished 5-26 overall and placed ninth in the Horizon League.

Mickey Barrett is in his fifth season as a head coach, all at Detroit (.333, 40-80).

IOWA, DETROIT NOTES
? Iowa is 55-27 (.671) in non-conference contests, including boasting a 33-11 (.750) mark in non-league home games, under Coach Bluder.
? Five of Iowa’s first seven games have been played against teams it has never faced, including Sunday’s contest against Detroit.
? Stacy Schlapkohl is a perfect 11-11 (1.000) from the foul line this season. She entered this season a 68 percent free throw shooter her first three years.
? Only one point separate Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith in season scoring. Ausdemore has amassed a team-best 76 points, while Smith has 75.
? After two games, Iowa was 16-27 (.593) from the foul line. The Hawkeyes converted a blistering 62-75 (.827) from the charity stripe in their last four games raising their season average to .765 (78-102).
? Iowa’s trip to Cancun last week will be its only road trip outside the state of Iowa until it travels to Ann Arbor, MI, to compete against Michigan on Dec. 30.
? Krista VandeVenter recently moved into 10th place in Iowa career rebounding (664).
? Iowa is 106-13 when leading at the half in eight years under Coach Bluder. Iowa is 86-16 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 37-1 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Megan Skouby (92) is only two blocks from matching fourth-place Jaime Cavey’s total of 94 on Iowa’s career blocks list. Johanna Solverson (845) is only six points from equaling 26th-place Lynn Kennedy’s total of 851 on the Hawkeyes’ career scoring chart and three steals from tying Tia Jackson (168) for 10th in career thefts. Wendy Ausdemore is only two treys from reaching 100 for her career. Furthermore, she is 10 triples from tying Jenna Armstrong’s sixth-place mark of 108 career 3-pointers.
? Iowa has won two contests against in-state rivals (Drake and UNI). The Hawkeyes will gun for the mythical state title when it competes at Iowa State, Dec. 5.

IOWA FALLS TO GEORGIA TECH IN BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
For the second straight game, Iowa’s opponent used a late surge to push past the Hawkeyes. Georgia Tech out-scored Iowa 27-7 the final 7:30 to upend the Hawkeyes, 76-57, in the first-ever women’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Wendy Ausdemore netted 18 of her season and team-high 23 points in the second half. The junior only missed one field goal attempt and one free throw, sinking 9-10 from the floor, including 3-4 from behind the arc, and 2-3 from the foul line.

Stacy Schlapkohl scored nine of her 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the game. It marked the second game this season Schlapkohl netted double figures off the bench.

The Yellow Jackets made nine of their last 11 field goal attempts to pull out the road victory.

LAST OUTING TIP-INS
? Only one game this season has Iowa topped 62 points in a game (Northern Iowa, 77).
? Wendy Ausdemore became the first Hawkeye to eclipse 20 points this year.
? Georgia Tech scored 35 of its 76 points off a season-high 26 Hawkeye turnovers.
? Iowa shot 78.6 percent (11-14) from the foul line, while the Yellow Jackets shot only 57 percent (12-21).
? Georgia Tech drained six of its eight 3-point field goals in the second half. Iowa was only 4-13, with Wendy Ausdemore converting 3-4.

GRAHAM SIDELINED
Iowa will be without the services of its leading rebounder for the next 2-4 weeks. Jenee Graham suffered a broken bone in her right shooting hand in practice this past Monday. She will be in a cast for two weeks and then will be re-evaulated. The senior averaged 6.8 rebounds and had 11 assists to only five turnovers through five games.

IMPROVING DEFENSE
Last season Iowa ranked last in Big Ten scoring defense (71.7) and field goal percentage defense (.447). Through six games this year, Iowa ranks fifth in scoring defense (58.3) and sixth in field goal percentage defense (.378).

DOWNTOWN SUCCESS
Iowa has been very accurate shooting the ball behind the arc this season. The Hawkeyes rank first in the Big Ten, shooting 42.6 percent (29-68) from 3-point range. Three Hawkeyes have combined for 28 of their 29 triples (Wendy Ausdemore, 16; Johanna Solverson, 6; Kristi Smith, 6). Iowa has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range in four of six games this year, including a season-best 61.5 percent (8-13) against Mississippi State. Last season, Iowa ranked third nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (.402).

SHARP-SHOOTER
Junior Wendy Ausdemore doesn’t get to the free throw line very much, only 1.7 attempts in 65 games the last three years, but rarely misses when she toes the line.

Ausdemore has missed only nine free throws in her career (.918, 101-110). The native of Neola, IA, broke the Iowa single-season free throw percentage (.902, 55-61) and Big Ten-season free throw percentage (.975, 39-40) records her sophomore campaign.

BLUDER APPROACHES MILESTONE
Head Coach Lisa Bluder, the dean of Big Ten coaches, is only 13 victories (485) from reaching her 500th career win. Bluder amassed 127 wins at St. Ambrose (1984-1990), 187 victories at Drake (1990-2000) and 131 at Iowa (2000-07).

BIG TEN RANKINGS
Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.426) and third in field goal percentage (.459) and rebounds allowed (31.3). Individually, Wendy Ausdemore ranks first in 3-point percentage (.571), third in 3-pointers made (2.67) and 10th in scoring (12.7). Kristi Smith ranks seventh in assists (3.67) and 11th in scoring (12.5). Megan Skouby ranks seventh in blocks (1.33) and eighth in field goal percentage (.558).

OUTSIDE-INSIDE
Wendy Ausdemore has a better shooting percentage behind the arc than from two-point range. The junior is shooting at a 57 percent (16-28) clip from 3-point range, while her shots inside the arc fall 50 percent (10-20) of the time.

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE UPDATE
The ACC current owns a 4-2 lead in the first-ever women’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Picking up victories for the ACC are Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and NC State. Michigan and Michigan State recorded wins for the Big Ten.

There are five more match-ups in the Challenge, including four games that will be played Friday night.

HAWKEYES PEN FIVE TO NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT
Hannah Draxten, Shante Jones, Kelly Krei, Tia Mays and Kamille Wahlin have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.

“This is a large balanced class that covers every position,” said Bluder. “We are proud to sign two Iowa student-athletes, two of Minnesota’s top recruits and an outstanding player from Ohio.”

Draxten, a 6-0 wing player, has been a varsity starter since eighth grade, starting in 104 consecutive games for Fergus Falls High School in Minnesota. She has been the team’s leading scorer all four years. A two-year team captain, Draxten holds the all-time Fergus Falls High School records (boys and girls) for scoring (1,830) and rebounding (755). She has averaged 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds over her career. Draxten is a two-time Class 3A first team all-state and all-conference honoree.

Wahlin, a native of Crookston, MN, is a 5-8 left-handed point guard who averaged 19.9 points for her Crookston High School basketball team that went 24-3 a year ago. A third-year captain, she boasts career averages of 16.5 ppg, 4.8 apg and 3.0 spg. Wahlin established school records in scoring, assists, steals and field goals. Her team finished second in the Minnesota state tournament her sophomore campaign, where she was recognized on the all-tournament squad. She was tabbed Minnesota Coaches Association All-State and was her team’s MVP the last two seasons. Wahlin sank 47 consecutive free throws last year. Wahlin played on the same AAU team (North Tartan Larson) as Draxten last summer.

Krei, a native of Iowa City, has averaged 17.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.1 assists the last three years for City High. A two-time captain, she was a first team all-state honoree her freshman and junior years and was a second team selection as a sophomore. Krei is a three-time first team all-conference, all-district and all-area honoree. The 6-2 forward was named the 2007 Mississippi Valley Conference Player of the Year in basketball and track.

Mays, a native of Des Moines, is a four-year starter for Des Moines East High School. She was a pre-season Street & Smith’s honorable mention all-American in 2006. Last season as a junior, she was an all-state, all-conference and all-district performer. A second-year captain, she helped lead her team to a school-best 19-5 record and a berth to the Girls State Tournament. A 6-1 forward, she led the Lady Scarlets in points (15 ppg), rebounds (10 rpg), blocks (4 bpg) and field goal percentage (63%).

Jones is a 5-9 guard/forward from Dayton, OH. Jones played her first two years at Stivers School for the Arts and competed for Carroll High School last season. She averaged 17.8 points her junior year and was tabbed first team all-league and second team all-conference, all-district and all-southwest. Jones was named MVP of Carroll High School her junior season. She was selected first team all-league, all-conference and all-district her sophomore campaign. Jones was the highest scorer in the area her sophomore year (28.0 ppg) and named Stivers High School MVP.

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.

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 digits to lead the Hawkeyes. Smith averaged a team-best 13.4 points, followed by Skouby (13.2) and Ausdemore (12.7).

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.

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.

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 13-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.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
All-session tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Xbox 360 Live are $45 through Jan. 7, 2008, that’s a $20 discount from the regular price. After Jan. 7, all-session tickets will be $65. Tickets can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (319) 363-1888.

The tournament returns to Indianapolis for the 13th time in 14 years and has attracted more than 29,000 fans for each of the last six events. The 2006 tournament attendance of 38,638 and session average of 7,728 were both event records. In the past 13 years of Big Ten Tournament play, the conference has welcomed more than 382,000 fans. Six different league representatives have become tournament champions. Purdue leads all teams with six titles followed by two championships for both Iowa and Penn State and a single title for Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State.

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.

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
The Hawkeyes travel to Ames to face Iowa State in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series Wednesday. Fans who can’t make the game can watch the in-state rivalry on Mediacom Connections. Iowa returns home to host the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge, Dec. 8-9. Joining Iowa in the four-team field is Northern Illinois, Saint Joseph’s and nationally-ranked Wyoming.

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