Jan. 3, 2008
Iowa improves to 38-20 in games against Minnesota, including a 16-11 mark in Minneapolis. The road team has won the last three meetings. Furthermore, the last three games have been two-point contests, with Iowa winning two of the three in overtime.
Senior Krista VandeVenter played in front of her hometown fans for the last time tonight. The Osseo, MN, native made two of the most crucial shots of her career in tonight’s game. The senior made a lay-up with 27 seconds left to send the game into overtime and made the game-winning basket on a 14-foot bank shot with the shot clock winding down. VandeVenter (10 points) was one of five Hawkeye starters in double figures.
Only six points were scored in overtime. Tonight was the second straight overtime game between Iowa and Minnesota. The first 4:02 of the extra session was scoreless. Iowa’s Kristi Smith broke the scoreless tie in overtime sinking a pair of free throws with 58 seconds left. On Minnesota’s next possession, Leslie Knight snagged a missed 3-point attempt and tied the game with a lay-up with 43 seconds left. Iowa’s Krista VandeVenter scored the game-winning basket with 12 seconds left on a bank shot.
Minnesota took its first second-half lead at the 3:55 mark of the second half. Iowa led by five (57-52), but the Gophers went on a 7-0 run, capped by Katie Ohm’s third 3-pointer of the game, to give them a 59-57 advantage.
Iowa re-established the lead on Wendy Ausdemore’s fourth triple of the second half (62-61) with 2:54 left. Minnesota’s Emily Fox answered with her second trey of the game to grab a two-point advantage (64-62) with 1:50 left. A Krista VandeVenter lay-up with 27 seconds left tied the game (64-64). Fox missed a 14-foot jumper with 11 seconds left and Iowa secured the rebound. Iowa’s Kristi Smith missed a running lay-up at the buzzer that would have won the contest for the Hawkeyes.
Johanna Solverson scored nine of her 16 points in the first 5:30 of the game. Unfortunately, the senior was whistled for her second personal foul at the 14:35 mark and sat a majority of the first half. Solverson was perfect from the floor in the first 20 minutes, 3-3 from long distance and 1-1 inside the 3-point arc for 12 points.
Wendy Ausdemore has been red-hot shooting her last two games at Williams Arena (13-17 FG, 8-11 3-pt FG). Last season, she shot a blistering 7-9 from the floor, including 4-5 from long distance, netting a game-high 23 points. Tonight, Ausdemore (6-8 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG) scored 12 of her 16 points in the second stanza. She was a perfect 6-6 from the field (4-4 from behind the arc) during regulation.
Iowa built an eight-point first half margin (28-20) with 5:22 left in the first half but Minnesota then went on an 11-2 run the next 2:25 to claim a 31-30 advantage. Iowa would ultimately go to the locker room leading by three points (36-33). The Hawkeyes have had the halftime lead in their first three Big Ten contests (Penn State, Michigan and Minnesota).
Kristi Smith finished with 13 points and matched a season high with seven assists tonight. Smith has dished out seven assists in four games this season.
Iowa’s starters scored 65 of its 68 points tonight.
Iowa returns to action Sunday when it entertains 20th-ranked Ohio State at 3:05 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The contest will be televised live on the Big Ten Network (HD).