Nov. 4, 2008
- Purchase Iowa Season Tickets and Iowa City NCAA First/Second Round Tickets
- Basketblog
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
Complete Release in PDF Format
THE SETTING
The Iowa women’s basketball team will host Upper Iowa in its second exhibition contest Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 3:35 p.m. inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $3 for adults, while UI students and children 18 years and under will be admitted free.
PROMOTIONS
Sunday will be a rare men’s-women’s doubleheader. Fans who present their men’s basketball ticket stub vs. Wayne State or football ticket stub vs. Penn State will be admitted free to the women’s contest vs. Upper Iowa.
SEASON TICKETS
Season ticket prices are $90 for the general public and $76 for UI faculty. Regular season single-game tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for youths and UI students are admitted free with student I.D. Also, children, 18-years-and-under, will be admitted free for all weekday home games.
ON THE RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Sunday afternoon’s exhibition game for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on KXIC 800-AM in Iowa City. Balbinot is in his fifth season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her fourth providing analysis. Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats (gametracker). The `GT’ link can be accessed under the `Calender’ tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 969 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 588-381 (.607). That includes a 295-146 (.669) mark in Big Ten contests and 272-81 (.771) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ON IOWA
Last season, Iowa won a share of the Big Ten regular season conference championship with Ohio State. The title is the program’s ninth, the second-most behind Ohio State (11). Iowa lost to eventual champion Purdue (80-73) in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Last year marked the first time since the 2004-05 season (Michigan State and Ohio State) that there were co-champions. The Hawkeyes won of 11 of their last 13 regular season contests, including winning eight straight during conference play. The eight-game winning streak was the longest by any Big Ten team throughout the season. Furthermore, Iowa won a Big Ten-best five league road games.
SCOUTING UPPER IOWA
Upper Iowa finished last season with a 7-23 overall record and a 3-15 mark in the Northern Sun Conference. The Peacocks roster this season features two seniors and seven underclassmen (three freshmen and four sophomores). Last year, Upper Iowa averaged 60 points per game. Junior Andrea Downs averaged a team-best 11.6 points, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals a year ago to pace the Peacocks. Also, senior Britney Iredale averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. Upper Iowa is coached by Interim Head Coach Mike Brown. He served as the Peacocks’ assistant coach the previous three seasons.
IOWA ROUTES QUINCY IN EXHIBITION OPENER
Iowa outscored Quincy by 27 points in the second half en route to a convincing 88-57 triumph last Sunday in the Hawkeyes’ exhibition opener. The Lady Hawks clawed to within one point (41-40) five minutes into the second stanza, but Iowa answered with a 24-3 run the next seven minutes to put the game away. All five Iowa starters tallied double figures. Four seniors led the way for the Black and Gold. Wendy Ausdemore scored a team-high 18 points, Megan Skouby had 17 points, Kristi Smith netted 14 points and Nicole VanderPol drained 12 points. Skouby also posted game highs in rebounds (15) rebounds and blocks (2). Sophomore starter Kachine Alexander registered 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Freshman Kamille Wahlin dished out a game-high six assists to go along with her seven points. Freshman Hannah Draxten chipped in with five points and four rebounds. As a team, Iowa outrebounded Quincy 50-43 and outshot the Lady Hawks 47% (31-66) to 29% (19-65). Additionally, Iowa sank eight triples (8-26, .308) in victory.
IOWA APPROACHES MILESTONES
Iowa enters the 2008-09 campaign, its 35th season, with 589 overall wins and 296 Big Ten Conference victories. Additionally, Coach Bluder, who won her 500th career victory a year ago, enters this season with 148 victories.
MEDIA COVERAGE
The Big Ten Conference and Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball fans will enjoy unprecedented coverage in 2008-09. A minimum of seven games will be televised to a national cable audience, six on the Big Ten Network and another on ESPN. Iowa will also have some games broadcast locally in Eastern Iowa on KCRG. Also, a minimum of 10 Iowa Big Ten games will be streamed, free of charge, on www.bigtennetwork.com. Plus, Iowa’s three games at the Paradise Jam (Nov. 27-29) will be streamed on www.paradisejam.com for a small fee.
HAMLIN AND CERMAK DOUBTFUL
Iowa power forward JoAnn Hamlin and small forward Kelsey Cermak will not likely see action, again, Sunday vs. Upper Iowa. The duo missed last week’s exhibition opener. Hamlin is recovery from a right foot injury, while Cermak is recovering from a lower back injury.
PRE-SEASON RANKINGS
Iowa has been picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten by the league coaches and fifth by a selected media panel. The coaches picked Purdue to win the conference, while the media selected Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won outright or shared the last four regular season conference titles. Ohio State sophomore Jantel Lavender was selected as the pre-season Player of the Year by both voting groups.
HAWKEYES RETURN EIGHT
Iowa returns eight letterwinners, including two starters from a team that finished 21-11 overall, tied for first in the Big Ten with a 13-5 mark and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. Returning starters include point guard Kristi Smith and small forward Wendy Ausdemore. Iowa also returns part-time starter Megan Skouby.
HAWKEYES RETURN ALL-BIG TEN STANDOUTS
Kristi Smith was a first team all-Big Ten performer, Wendy Ausdemore earned honorable mention accolades, while Megan Skouby was named the league’s first “Sixth Player of the Year” award winner. Furthermore, Smith was an honorable mention all-American.
SIMILARITIES
Coach Bluder sees similarities between this season’s senior and freshman classes. This year’s senior class was asked, in 2005-06, to step-up and make an immediate impact when they were freshmen. Iowa’s freshman class this year will, again, be asked to provide depth and will likely play a pivotal role in the team’s success.
RAINING THREES
Iowa made 116 three-pointers a year ago, which is the most-ever by a Big Ten team during conference play. For the season, the Hawkeyes made 194-506 (.389), which ranks third in school history for percentage. The 197 triples were only two from equaling the school single-season record of 199 set in 2001-02.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
The Hawkeyes were a perfect 5-0 during conference play in games decided by five points or less in 2007-08. Iowa won two overtime contests: at Minnesota (68-66) and at home vs. Wisconsin (78-74). Iowa edged out Minnesota (72-69) and Michigan (66-61) in Iowa City and Illinois (60-58) at Champaign.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS
The defending Big Ten co-champion Hawkeyes will play 20 of 29 regular season games against teams that competed in 2008 post-season tournaments, including six teams (eight games) that participated in the NCAA tournament. Iowa will play 16 regular season contests (two exhibitions) and will also host one of 16 sites for the 2009 NCAA Tournament in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, March 22 and 24, 2009. Four Iowa opponents are ranked in the Associated Press Preseason poll (No. 8 Duke, No. 9 California, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 23 Purdue).
AUSDEMORE IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Wendy Ausdemore enters her senior season with her name all over the Hawkeye record books for 3-point shooting. The native of Neola, IA, enters her senior season 160-378 (.423). Her career shooting accuracy from beyond the arc currently ranks first in the Big Ten and Hawkeye record books. Former Ohio State Buckeye Caity Matter (270-657, .411) ranks second, while former Iowa Hawkeye Lindsey Meder (261-644, .405) is third. Ausdemore’s 160 treys ranks second in Iowa annals behind Meder’s 261. Last season, Ausdemore was 78-171 (.456), with her percentage ranking third in the nation, and first among players with over 150 attempts. Also, Ausdemore made a school-best 62 triples as a sophomore and 78 as a junior.
RECORD BREAKERS
Iowa broke two school records in 2007-08: field goal percentage in a half (73.9 percent at Wisconsin) and consecutive 3-pointers made in a single-game (seven vs. Minnesota). Additionally, Wendy Ausdemore tied her own Carver-Hawkeye Arena record, making six triples vs. Purdue.
HOME GROWN HAWKEYES
Iowa’s 2008-09 roster features five players from the state of Iowa (Wendy Ausdemore, Kelsey Cermak, Kelly Krei, Tia Mays and Nicole VanderPol). The Hawkeyes also have three players from Minnesota (Kachine Alexander, Hannah Draxten and Kamille Wahlin). Iowa’s 13-person roster also features players from Ohio (Shante Jones and Megan Skouby), Colorado (Kristi Smith), Kansas (JoAnn Hamlin) and Michigan (Lindsey Nyenhuis).
HAWKEYES WELCOME TALENTED FRESHMEN
Hannah Draxten, Shante Jones, Kelly Krei and Kamille Wahlin join the Hawkeye roster as freshmen. Draxten was a varsity starter since eighth grade, starting 131 consecutive games for Fergus Falls High School. She was the team’s leading scorer all five years and holds nine Fergus Falls High School records. Draxten was a three-time Minnesota Coaches Association Class AAA first team all-state selection. She boasted career averages of 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds and led her team to a 23-6 record, a Section 8AAA title and her high school’s first-ever state tournament appearance her senior season. Wahlin led Crookston High School to a third-place finish at the Minnesota Class AA state tournament as a senior. She averaged 19.8 points, 6.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals her senior campaign. Wahlin was named the Minnesota Breakdown Magazine Player of the Year as a senior. Additionally, she was the 2008 Miss Minnesota Basketball finalist finishing her career averaging 17.2 points, 5.1 assists, 2.9 steals and 3.9 rebounds. As Crookston’s starting point guard for four-plus seasons, the Pirates were 114-18. Krei was named the 2008 Iowa Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year, playing for City High in Iowa City. She was a first team all-state honoree her freshman, junior and senior seasons and was a second team selection as a sophomore. Krei amassed 1,734 points, 743 rebounds, 256 assists, 243 steals and 151 blocks in 95 career games. Jones played her first two years at Stivers School for the Arts and competed for Carroll High School the last two seasons. She was a first team all-district and all-Ohio Division II honorable mention her senior year. Jones was named her team’s MVP as a senior. She scored 1,809 career points and shared the conference lead in scoring her senior year.
BLOGGING
Iowa Hawkeye fans will be treated once again to behind-the-scenes information this season as senior Wendy Ausdemore, and sophomore Kelsey Cermak and freshman Hannah Draxten will have their own blogs, which will be posted on hawkeyesports.com. The trio will share their thoughts on practices, games, road trips, and everything else surrounding the program. Additionally, fans will be able to watch behind-the-scenes clips of the team with Lindsey Nyenhuis’ video blog.
TRIFECTA
Iowa had three players eclispe the 1,000-point plateau a year ago: Johanna Solverson, Megan Skouby and junior Kristi Smith. Last season marked the first time in the program’s 34-year history three players reached the 1,000-point plateau in the same season. Solverson scored 18 points in a home win over Michigan State (Feb. 7, 2008). The native of Lake Zurich, IL, reached 1,000 points in 117 games. Skouby scored six points at No. 20 Ohio State (Feb. 21, 2008) to become the 24th Hawkeye to amass 1,000 career points. Skouby, who is a native of Mentor, OH, accomplished the feat in only 82 games and she did so in front of family and friends. Smith netted 19 points vs. Purdue (March 8, 2008) to become the 25th Iowa player to tally 1,000 points. The Thornton, CO, native accomplished the feat in 90 contests.
IOWA FAST BREAKS
? Iowa boasted a 13-3 record in home games, including 8-1 in Big Ten play a year ago.
? The Hawkeyes defeated every Big Ten team at least once in 2008-09, except Ohio State (0-2).
? Kristi Smith netted 15 points, or more, a team-best 15 times last season. She topped the 20-point plateau five times.
? Iowa is 121-17 when leading at the half in eight years under Coach Bluder. The Hawkeyes are 101-22 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 46-4 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Iowa is slated to play six non-conference games against teams from a major conference: Big East (South Florida), Pac-10 (California), ACC (Duke), Big XII (Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State).
GET TO KNOW HER CAMPAIGN
The Big Ten Conference announced its latest public service effort for women’s basketball. The Get to Know Her campaign is a fully integrated effort that will allow fans to see the non-basketball sides of their favorite student-athletes via multimedia tools and on-campus promotions. Elements of the Get to Know Her campaign include a fan club, theme nights, a weekly newsletter, Big Ten Network-produced PSAs, video and print feature stories, a Facebook page and fan rewards. Fans can sign up to be members of the Get to Know Her Club at all Big Ten women’s basketball home games. Fans will receive special rewards for joining the club, while membership privileges include special access, giveaways and insider information on Big Ten women’s basketball. Fans will also enjoy increased chances to learn about their favorite women’s basketball players through multimedia outlets. Written feature stories will appear on the Big Ten website throughout the conference season, while the Big Ten Network will air features and Get to Know Her PSAs through the duration of the 2008-09 campaign.
UI TO HOST NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES IN 2009
The University of Iowa and Carver-Hawkeye Arena will serve as one of 16 first and second round hosts for the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Games will take place Sunday, March 22 (6 p.m./8:30 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 24, 2009 (8:30 p.m.). Adult tickets prices are $28 for the three tournament games and $18 for students and senior citizens if they purchase their tickets over the phone or at the UI Ticket Office. The two ticket prices are $31 and $21, respectively, if purchased on the Internet. The UI Department of Athletics first hosted an NCAA Championship site in 1986 when it served as one of four regional final sites. Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted NCAA Women’s Championship games 11 years (1986-90, 92-94, 96-98). The UI and Carver-Hawkeye Arena have entertained the regional finals four times and first and/or second rounds nine times. The NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994. The last time Iowa City hosted a first and second round site was in 1998. Iowa defeated Massachusetts in the first round, but lost to Kansas in the second round. The Hawkeyes boast a 9-4 record in NCAA Championship games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will face Upper Iowa Nov. 9 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in its final exhibition contest.