Jan. 2, 2009
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- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
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THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-5, 1-1) returns to the road this weekend when they travel to Bloomington, IN, to face the Indiana Hoosiers (9-2, 2-0). Tip-off is slated for 3:06 p.m. (CST) in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers have won eight-straight games, while the Hawkeyes have won four of their last five. Both Iowa and Indiana received the first of their two “byes” Thursday. The Hawkeyes are in the middle of a stretch of playing four of five games on the road.
ON THE TUBE
Sunday’s game will be televised live to a national cable audience on the Big Ten Network (HD). Jenean Ford and Stephanie White 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 KXIC in Iowa City, 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 982 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Overall, Iowa’s record is 596-386 (.607). That includes a 296-147 (.668) mark in Big Ten contests and 277-82 (.772) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
TIP-OFF TIME SET FOR IOWA-MINNESOTA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Iowa’s game against Minnesota on Jan. 11 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City has been established. Tip-off will be at 4:35 p.m. and the game will be televised to a national cable audience on the Big Ten Network (HD).
ALL-TIME SERIES
Sunday will be the 53rd meeting between Iowa and Indiana, with the Hawkeyes leading the series 38-14. Iowa holds a 14-9 advantage in games played at Bloomington. The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes played only once last season; Iowa won 81-65 on Feb. 3, 2008 in Iowa City. The Boilermakers have won seven of the last nine meetings, including winning three of the last four contests played at Assembly Hall.
SCOUTING INDIANA
The Indiana Hoosiers enter Sunday’s game on an eight-game winning streak. The Hoosiers are 3-1 at home, averaging 886 fans per contest. Indiana’s 2-0 conference record is its best start since the 2005-06 campaign when the Hoosiers downed Iowa and Penn State in the first two games of league action. Most recently, Indiana won at Michigan State, 62-48. The win earned Felisha Legette-Jack her 100th career victory as a head coach. The Hoosiers forced 20 Spartan turnovers and collected 13 steals. Indiana drained seven triples, compared to only two for Michigan State. Sophomore guard Jori Davis netted a game-high 14 points. Senior center Amber Jackson nearly posted a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Jamie Braun contributed 12 points and a game-high five rebounds. Thomas is nine points from reaching her 1,000th career point and 92 rebounds from 1,000. The senior averages 11.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Her rebounding average ranks third in the Big Ten. Jackson averages a team-best 16.6 points, which rates fifth-best in the league. Jackson gets a lot of high-percentage shots and converts them – – making a Big Ten-best .613 (73-119) from the field. Senior forward Kim Roberson averages a team-best 2.55 steals, which ranks third-best in the Big Ten. As a team, Indiana ranks first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271), second in rebounding (42.3), steals (10.09), field goal percentage (.442) and turnover margin (+2.64). Legette-Jack is in her eighth season (100-94, .515) as a head coach and her third (46-31, .597) on the Hoosier sidelines.
IOWA, INDIANA NOTES
? Iowa begins a two-game road trip to the state of Indiana. After Sunday’s contest in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes return to the state to face Purdue, Thursday, in West Lafayette.
? Sunday will be Iowa’s first visit to Assembly Hall in Bloomington since Jan. 11, 2007. The Hawkeyes only placed Indiana once last season, in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won their last game in Bloomington, 71-67.
? Seniors Megan Skouby and Kristi Smith started their first career game at Indiana (Dec. 29, 2005). Skouby averages 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, while Smith averages 13.0 points and 3.8 assists against the Hoosiers.
? Hoosier Associate Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson lettered on Iowa’s women’s basketball team from 1988-90. Coach Bluder and the Iowa Hawkeyes faced Abrahamson-Henderson three times when she was the head coach at Missouri State (2002-07).
? Eight of Iowa’s 13 games have been decided by 18 points or more (5-3).
? Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams already have at least one loss.
? Iowa players have corralled double-digit rebounds 11 times this season. JoAnn Hamlin has accomplished the feat a team-best five times, followed by Kachine Alexander (4) and Wendy Ausdemore (2).
? Iowa has held seven of the eight teams it has defeated to 58 points or less.
? Iowa boasted a +21.3 scoring margin in its three wins over in-state competition. The Hawkeyes dropped Iowa State by 20, Northern Iowa by 26 and Drake by 18.
? JoAnn Hamlin and Kachine Alexander lead the team in rebounding, averaging 7.5 rebounds per contest. The 7.5 rebounds rank ninth-best in the Big Ten.
? Kachine Alexander leads the team with 39 assists (3.0 per game). The 3.0 average ranks 12th-best in the league.
? Iowa has six different players lead the team in scoring through 13 games. Wendy Ausdemore has led the squad in scoring a team-best five times. Megan Skouby, who played in her 100th game last Sunday, has led the team four times.
? Iowa ranks fourth in the country in free throw percentage (.797). The Hawkeyes have made (212) more free throws than their opponents have attempted (207).
? Wendy Ausdemore has only missed one free throw (25-26, .962).
? Last season, Megan Skouby blocked 23 shots in 32 games; she has already amassed 22 through 13 games this season.
? Kristi Smith has reached double figures a team-best nine times.
? Iowa has an RPI rating of 22nd in the country and strength of schedule that ranks eighth. The RPI ranking is fourth-best in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes’ strength of schedule ranks third-best in the Big Ten. Indiana has an RPI ranking of 30 and strength of schedule of 76. The numbers are based on the report published on Jan. 2.
HOME SWEET HOME
Iowa has maintained a solid home court advantage the last couple years. Dating back to last season, Iowa has won 12 of its last 13 games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Purdue snapped Iowa’s 12-game winning streak with a 69-60 win last Sunday in Iowa City.
PURDUE SNAPS IOWA’S HOME WINNING STREAK
A 10-0 second-half run helped the Purdue Boilermakers surge to a 69-60 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes last Sunday in Iowa City. The loss snapped Iowa’s four-game winning streak and 12-game home winning streak, dating back to last January. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton led all scorers with 17 points; she also added seven rebounds. Danielle Campbell registered a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds), while Lakisha Freeman scored all 10 of her points in the second stanza. Iowa was led by Kristi Smith, Kachine Alexander and Wendy Ausdemore. Alexander score 11 of her 15 points from the free throw line, while Ausdemore netted 11 of her 13 points in the second half. Smith scored a team-high 16 points. Iowa closed to within 50-45 with 7:24 left in the game, but were unable to get any closer.
LAST OUTING TIP-INS
? Iowa fell to 30-24 against Purdue and 14-10 in games played in Iowa City.
? Iowa shot 22-26 (.846) from the free throw line, while Purdue was only 11-14 (.786).
? The Hawkeyes were 6-17 (.353) from behind the 3-point arc. Iowa has made five triples or more the last three games.
? Purdue outrebounded Iowa 40-33 and outscored the Hawkeyes 13-7 in second-chance points.
? Purdue’s 44 second-half points are the most Iowa has allowed this season.
? Iowa played only seven players for the first time this season.
? Wendy Ausdemore and Kristi Smith played all 40 minutes against the Boilermakers. Smith has now played 40 minutes or more five times in her career, while Ausdemore has played 40 or more minutes three times, including twice this season.
? Kachine Alexander posted a career high in both free throws made (11) and attempted (13) against Purdue. Kelly Krei equaled a career high, blocking one shot.
20/20
Wendy Ausdemore scored 20 points in each of Iowa’s road victories at Drake and Wisconsin last week. The senior was on fire from behind the 3-point arc, draining 8-11 (.727). Furthermore, she was 13-19 (.684) from the field and a perfect 6-6 (1.000) from the foul line in the two victories.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Last season, Iowa had only three players record one double-double in 32 games (Wendy Ausdemore, Johanna Solverson and Megan Skouby). So far this season, Iowa has had three players post double-doubles a total of six times through 12 games. JoAnn Hamlin recorded double-doubles vs. Boston, Iowa State and at Wisconsin this year. Kachine Alexander tallied her first double-double vs. Providence, while Ausdemore had back-to-back double-doubles vs. Texas Tech and South Florida in the Paradise Jam.
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.
IOWA APPROACHES MILESTONE
The Iowa’s women’s basketball program has 596 overall wins and 296 victories in Big Ten Conference play.
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 early this season. 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.
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 186-445 (.418) from long distance. The senior has been on fire from behid the arc the last three games; Ausdemore sank 61.1 percent (11-18) of her 3-point attempts at Drake, at Wisconsin and vs. Purdue. Ausdemore’s 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 186 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.
IOWA FAST BREAKS
? Iowa is 129-17 when leading at the half in nine years under Coach Bluder, including a perfect 8-0 this season. The Hawkeyes are 109-23 when holding opponents to 69 points or less, including a 53-4 mark when opponents score 59 points or less.
? Iowa played 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). Additionally, she equaled a career high blocking five shots in back-to-back games (Northern Iowa and Drake).
? Iowa’s loss to South Florida was its first overtime loss since falling 80-78 to Minnesota (Jan. 25, 2007) in Iowa City.
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.
HOME, AWAY COMPARISONS
Iowa averages 11.4 more points at home than on the road. The Black and Gold have a higher free throw percentage at home (.814) than on the road (.773). Iowa averages 4.0 more rebounds per game, 3.1 more assists and 3.6 fewer turnovers at home than on the road.
WINS, LOSSES COMPARISONS
There are big differences in the statistics in Iowa’s wins to Iowa’s losses. The Hawkeyes average 14.7 more points in their wins to losses. Also, Iowa averages 6.0 fewer turnovers in its victories. Finally, Iowa averages .369 from behind the 3-point arc in its wins, compared to only .283 in its defeats.
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.
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).
HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES
Iowa has clinched the 2008-09 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series, leading 15-4 with only three evnts remaining. The Black and Gold have now won the event three times in its five-year history. The Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes (3-0) in volleyball 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 men’s basketball (73-57), women’s swimming (196-104), women’s basketball (66-46), wrestling (20-15), women’s soccer (3-2) and finished ahead of Iowa State at the women’s cross country regional meet.
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.
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
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 on the road when it travels to West Lafayette, IN, to face Purdue. It will mark the second time in three games the two schools will meet. The Hawkeyes return home to host Minnesota on Jan. 11 at 4:35 p.m.