Hawkeyes Return Home to Host No. 22 Iowa State

Dec. 5, 2008

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THE SETTING
After playing four-straight games away from Iowa City, the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-4) return home to entertain No. 22 Iowa State (5-1). Tip-off is scheduled for 1:06 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for youths, while UI students are admitted free. Sunday will be the seventh event in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa currently leads the annual competition, 7-4. The two teams will meet in a wrestling dual meet Saturday night in Iowa City in the sixth event. Both competitions are worth two points each.

PROMOTIONS
Fans are encouraged to wear black Sunday as it will be a “Blackout” event. Also, there will be a pre-game Kids Fun Zone on the north concourse and post-game player autographs.

ON THE TUBE
Sunday’s game will be televised to a national cable audience on the Big Ten Network (HD). Tom Werme, Brenda VanLengen and Lauren Bohlander will call the action.

ON THE RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Sunday afternoon’s game for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on WMT in Cedar Rapids and WHO in Des Moines. 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 977 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 592-385 (.606). That includes a 295-146 (.669) mark in Big Ten contests and 275-81 (.772) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Sunday will be the 39th meeting between Iowa and Iowa State, with the Hawkeyes leading the series 20-18. Iowa holds a 12-6 advantage in games played at Iowa City. Iowa State has won the last three meetings, including last year’s game in Ames (58-44). The Black and Gold have won two of the last three games played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. There have been three overtime contests between the two teams. Iowa State owns a 2-1 advantage in the overtime games, including a double overtime triumph (101-94) at Ames in 2003.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
No. 22 Iowa State enters Sunday’s match-up with a 5-1 record. The Cyclones had a full week to prepare for the Hawkeyes. Iowa State is coming off a 2-1 road trip at the Waikiki Marriott Beach Resort Classic. The Cyclones beat Prairie View A&M (75-59) and San Diego State (87-71), but fell to No. 6 Stanford (83-45). Heather Ezell and Alison Lacey were both named to the all-tournament team. Sunday is Iowa State’s final road game until Jan. 14. The Cyclones are slated to play their next eight games at home. Nicky Wieben averages a team-best 10.7 points per contest. Lacey averages 10.5 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game. As a team, the Cyclones average 7.7 triples per game and boast a +12.5 rebounding margin. Iowa State State is coached by Bill Fennelly, who is in his 21st year (451-186) as a head coach and his 14th with the Cyclones (285-133).

FLOOD RELIEF
Fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones, who will be attending the next three events in the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be asked to give a buck to help support on-going flood relief efforts in greater eastern Iowa. University of Iowa students representing several different official UI clubs, organizations and intercollegiate athletics teams will be soliciting donations at the Iowa-Iowa State wrestling event Saturday night, the Iowa-Iowa State women’s basketball game Sunday and the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game next Friday night. All three events are at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. All donations received will be added to the proceeds generated from the sale of tickets to the “Meet and Greet” event involving 2008 U.S. Olympian Shawn Johnson being staged by Mediacom and the Big Ten Network, and the proceeds generated from the sale of raffle tickets to meet actor Ashton Kutcher at the premier of his latest movie, “Personal Effects.” The event featuring Shawn Johnson will take place from 4:15-6:30 p.m., Dec. 12, at the Levitt Center on the UI campus. Persons interested in purchasing tickets to that event can do so online at MediacomFlood Relief.com and at the Mediacom payment centers at 702 Gilbert Street in Iowa City and 6300 Council Street, NE in Cedar Rapids. Raffle tickets for the opportunity to meet Kutcher are also available for purchase online at MediacomFloodRelief.com. Kutcher will visit with four winners and their guests prior to personally introducing the movie at Iowa City’s historic Englert Theater. Johnson and Kutcher both plan to attend the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game but will be there as spectators and will not be available for autographs or photographs.

IOWA, IOWA STATE NOTES
? Iowa has played four-straight games away from home. The Black and Gold’s last home games was played on Nov. 23 vs. Providence. The Hawkeyes are in a middle of a stretch of playing three-consecutive ranked opponents (No. 3 California on Nov. 29, No. 12 Duke and No. 22 Iowa State on Dec. 7).
? Iowa’s Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith will be playing in their 100th career game Sunday vs. Iowa State.
? Iowa has played at Kansas’ historic Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 18 and Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4.
? Iowa started the season playing seven games in 14 days.
? Junior Nicole VanderPol is doubtful for Sunday’s game due to injury. She has not played in the last six games.
? Junior JoAnn Hamlin recorded her 500th career point at No. 12 Duke last Thursday night.
? Senior Wendy Ausdemore has led the team in scoring three of the last four contests, while JoAnn Hamlin has paced the team in rebounding the last three. Furthermore, Ausdemore has led the team in assists in five of the eight contests.
? Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks eighth-best in the country. The Hawkeyes own the toughest schedule among Big Ten teams; Ohio State ranks second, rated ninth.
? Iowa ranks 17th nationally in free throw percentage (.774).
? Megan Skouby, Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith have each scored in double figures in five of Iowa’s eight contests.

DUKE BEATS IOWA IN ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
No. 12 Duke defeated Iowa, 71-47, Thursday night in front of 5,328 fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Blue Devils forced Iowa into a season-high 28 turnovers and turned those miscues into 28 points. Additionally, Duke dominated Iowa in the post, outscoring the visitors 48-14 in the paint. All 10 Iowa players that played scored, but no Hawkeye reached double figures. Freshman Hannah Draxten netted a team-high nine points, with all nine points coming from behind the arc in the second stanza. Megan Skouby contributed eight points, while JoAnn Hamlin led Iowa in rebounding for the third-straight contest, grabbing 10. Duke’s Chante Black led all scorers with 18 points, while Joy Cheek added 13 and Krystal Thomas 10.

2008 ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
The ACC won the first seven games of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but the Big Ten has won the last two. Picking up victories for the ACC were Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Clemson and Virginia. Recording wins for the Big Ten were Wisconsin and Minnesota. Two games remain in the Challenge. NC State at Michigan and Indiana at Miami. Both contests are scheduled for Friday night.

IOWA, DUKE TIP-INS
? Thursday was the first-ever meeting between Iowa and Duke. Duke extended its winning streak to three games, while Iowa has now lost three straight.
? Hannah Draxten sank a career-high three 3-pointers (3-5, .600), all in the second stanza. JoAnn Hamlin led the team in rebounds, collecting a game-high 10. She has grabbed double-digit rebounds in two of the last three contests.
? Iowa’s leading scorer, Megan Skouby, left the game two minutes into the contest after her left eye was gauged fighting for a loose ball underneath Iowa’s basket. Skouby trotted out of the training room after the fourth media timeout and returned at the 2:15 mark.
? Iowa made 10-12 (.833) from the free throw line.
? Both teams combined missing their first 17 field goal attempts. Duke missed its first 13 attempts, while Iowa missed its first four. Additionally, both teams combined for seven turnovers during the scoring drought. Iowa’s Wendy Ausdemore scored the game’s first points on a 3-pointer at the 15:21 mark. She netted Iowa’s first five points, but didn’t score again the rest of the game.
? Iowa made only three field goals the last 11:25 of the first half. The Hawkeyes’ inability to score propeled the Blue Devils to double-up Iowa 28-14 at intermission. Duke went on a 12-2 run the final 4:27 to conclude the first stanza. Iowa shot only 19% (5-26) from the field the first 20 minutes. The 14 points are a season low for a half for the Black and Gold.
? Duke scored half its first-half points after Iowa turnovers. The home team tallied 14 of their 28 first-half points after 15 Hawkeye miscues. For the game, the Blue Devils recorded 18 steals to Iowa’s three.
? Iowa did outrebound Duke, 44-39. The Hawkeyes have outrebounded five of their eight opponents this season. Iowa boasts a +7.8 rebounding margin through eight games.
? Duke opened the second half with a 21-9 surge to build a comfortable 49-25 cushion with 11:15 remaining.

AUSDEMORE REACHES MILESTONE
Wendy Ausdemore’s second 3-point basket in the first half of the South Florida game on Nov. 28, put her over the 1,000-point plateau. She became the 26th Hawkeye to accomplish the feat. Classmates Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith reached the milestone last season.

HAWKEYES CAPTURE HAWKEYE CHALLENGE TITLE
Iowa picked up wins over Boston University (83-58) and Providence (64-46) two weeks ago to claim its 18th Hawkeye Challenge title. Megan Skouby was named tournament MVP, while senior teammates Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith were recognized on the all-tournament team. Skouby netted a game-high 21 points vs. Boston, and scored another 13 points against Providence. Ausdemore averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds, while Smith averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 assists. For the tournament, Iowa shot 42-51 (.824) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes also outrebounded both opponents and had a better shooting percentage.

AUSDEMORE POSTS DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Wendy Ausdemore notched back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career at the Paradise Jam. She posted 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Texas Tech and 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. South Florida. The 11 rebounds matched a career high. In Ausdemore’ previous 95 games, she had only grabbed double-digit rebounds twice, before accomplishing the feat in consecutive games last weekend.

TRIFECTA
Iowa has three seniors who have reached the 1,000-point plateau. Wendy Ausdemore, Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith became the first senior trio at Iowa to eclipse 1,000 points. The 1998 senior duo of Tangela Smith and Tiffany Gooden reached the milestone, the 1990 tandem of Franthea Price and Jolette Law accomplished the feat, and the 1987 duo of Lisa Becker and Lisa Long both tallied 1,000 points. Skouby and Smith accomplished the feat last season as juniors, while Ausdemore topped 1,000 points last week. Ausdemore netted a game-high 21 points in an overtime loss to South Florida (Nov. 28, 2008). The native of Neola, IA, reached 1,000 points in 97 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 IMPROVES REBOUNDING NUMBERS
Despite losing 15 rebounds per game to graduation, Iowa’s rebounding margin numbers are better this season, than last. A year ago, Iowa had a +4.3 rebounding margin, while the Hawkeyes are +7.8 through eight contests this season.

SKOUBY HAS CAREER GAME
Megan Skouby scored 16 of Iowa’s 27 first-half points on 6-8 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the foul line, at Kansas. Additionally, the senior scored Iowa’s first nine points in the second half. She finished with a game and career-high 33 points (10-17 FG, 13-14 FT). Her previous career high was 27 points vs. Michigan State her freshman year (Jan. 9, 2006). The last time an Iowa player scored over 30 points was Johanna Solverson (31 points at Wisconsin on March 2, 2008). She also posted career highs in free throws made (13) and attempted (14) against the Jayhawks. Her previous free throw bests were 11 made and 13 attempted vs. Indiana State (Nov. 15, 2006). The native of Mentor, OH, tallied 17 points against the Jayhawks her sophomore season in a game played in Kansas City. Skouby also collected seven boards and rejected a game-high three shots, playing 39 of the 40 minutes.

IOWA APPROACHES MILESTONE
Iowa’s women’s basketball program has 592 overall wins and 296 victories in Big Ten Conference play.

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 2008 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.

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 home 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. Six Iowa opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll poll this week (No. 3 California, No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Ohio State, No. 20 Purdue, and No. 22 Iowa State and No. 24 Michigan State).

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.

AUSDEMORE IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Wendy Ausdemore, a senior, has her name all over the Hawkeye record books for 3-point shooting. The native of Neola, IA, is 175-424 (.413) from long distance. 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 Hawkeye Lindsey Meder (261-644, .405) is third. Ausdemore’s 174 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.

HOME GROWN HAWKEYES
Iowa’s 2008-09 roster features four players from the state of Iowa (Wendy Ausdemore, Kelsey Cermak, Kelly Krei 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).

IOWA FAST BREAKS
? Iowa is 125-17 when leading at the half in nine years under Coach Bluder. The Hawkeyes are 105-22 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 50-4 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Iowa is slated to play seven non-conference games against teams from a major conference: Big East (Providence and South Florida), Pac-10 (California), ACC (Duke), Big XII (Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State).
? Megan Skouby tied a Paradise Jam tournament game record with four blocked shots against Texas Tech (11/27/08).
? Iowa’s loss to South Florida was its first overtime loss since falling 80-78 to Minnesota (Jan. 25, 2007) in Iowa City.

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.

HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES
Iowa leads the fifth annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series, 7-4, after five events. The Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes 3-0 in volleyball (Sept. 12) to earn two points and finished ahead of Iowa at the men’s cross country regional meet. Iowa beat Iowa State 17-5 in football to earn the only three-point event. The Hawkeyes also downed the Cyclones in women’s soccer, 3-2, and finished ahead of Iowa State at the women’s cross country regional meet. There are seven events remaining, with the next competition slated for Dec. 6 in wrestling (Iowa City).

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.

IOWA INFORMATION ON THE WEB
Statistics and play-by-play accounts of all Iowa Hawkeye 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 `GT’ link.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT ALL-SESSION TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY
Make sure you have the best seats to cheer on the Hawkeyes at the 2009 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis at Conseco Fieldhouse March 5-8. Secure the best seats available by contacting the UI Athletic Ticket Office at (800) IA-HAWKS. To reward fans for their support of the tournament over the years, all-session tickets are on sale for $45 for the first 45 days of public sale. That is a $20 discount from the regular price of $65. The ticket promotion ends Jan. 19, 2009. The Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments will call Indianapolis and Conseco Fieldhouse home through 2012. Indianapolis has staged 13 of the 14 previous women’s tournaments. The 2009 tournament features all 11 Big Ten teams in action, competing in 10 games over four days to crown the 2009 champion and earn the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Six different conference representatives have won the tournament championship. Reigning Big Ten Tournament Champion Purdue leads all teams with seven titles, followed by two championships for both Iowa and Penn State and one title each for Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State. The 2009 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket, along with information on tickets, travel, lodging, tournament history and more, can be found at bigten.org and indianasportscorp.com.

“HAWK TALK WITH Lisa Bluder”
Catch “Hawk Talk with Lisa Bluder”, the radio call-in program Monday night featuring Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Head Coach Lisa Bluder, on KXIC-AM 800 in Iowa City, 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 (800) 332-5401 or locally at (319) 365-0600. The show originates from Bob’s Your Uncle restaurant on the east side of Iowa City.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa remains home, hosting Northern Iowa next Thursday at 7:05 p.m. That game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network (HD).