Hawkeyes Head To Reno For Nugget Classic

Nov. 24, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

IOWA CITY – THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1) travel to Reno, NV, to compete in the Nugget Classic, hosted by the University of Nevada. West Virginia (3-1) and Columbia (3-1) will join the Hawkeyes, along with host-school Nevada (3-1).

Below is a schedule of the two-day Classic (all times listed are central).

Friday, Nov. 27
Columbia vs. Nevada – 4 p.m.
Iowa vs. West Virginia – 6 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28
Consolation Game – 7 p.m.
Championship Game – 9 p.m.

ON YOUR COMPUTER
Live video and live stats for all four Nugget Classic games can be found at nevadawolfpack.com. Fans will need to pay $4.95 per game in order to view live video.

ON YOUR RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the Nugget Classic games for the Hawkeye Radio Network. The game can be heard on AM-800 KXIC, AM-600 WMT and AM-1040 WHO, and also on the Hawkeye All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com. Balbinot is in his sixth season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her fifth year providing analysis.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,007 games, since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 614-393 (.610). That includes a 309-151 (.672) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 288-84 (.774) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa is 2-0 all time vs. West Virginia, 1-0 vs. Nevada and has never faced Columbia.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
The West Virginia Mountaineers are 3-1, after beating Duquesne Tuesday, 73-52. Korinne Campbell registered a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, to along with three blocks and two steals. West Virginia fired a season-best .574 from the floor, including .538 from long distance.

Liz Repella leads the team with 17.3 points per game. She is also the team’s leading three-point shooter, with 11 makes in 31 attempts.

Asya Bussie is also averaging double-figures at 11.8 points per game, with Vanessa House close behind at 9.3. Campbell leads the team with 10.3 rebounds per contest.

Mike Carey is in his ninth season as West Virginia’s head coach, and entered the season with a 438-204 record.

SCOUTING COLUMBIA
The Columbia Lions are 3-1 after defeating Manhattan, 69-66 Tuesday night. Senior Sara Yee hit a pair of three-pointers in the final four minutes, and also sank two clutch free throws with 12 seconds remaining to get the win. Judie Lomax finished with her fourth-consecutive double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds). Columbia is off to the program’s best start since the 2002-03 season.

Lomax is averaging a double-double, at 15.3 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. Lauren Dwyer (15.0) and Kathleen Barry (12.8) are also scoring in double-figures.

Paul Nixon is in his fifth year at Columbia, and holds a 37-74 record.

SCOUTING NEVADA
The Nevada Wolfpack are 3-1, after defeating Weber State, 50-38 Monday night. Johnna Ward led the way with 13 points, while Marissa Hammond netted 10. Shavon Moore and Kayla Williams grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Nevada scored 26 of its 50 points in the paint, but did have 21 turnovers.

Ward leads the team with 15.0 points per game, followed by Hammond at 8.5. Williams is the team’s leading rebounder, at 7.3 boards per contest.

Jane Albright is in her second season at Nevada, and her 25th season overall. Entering the year, she held an 18-14 record at Nevada and a 415-325 overall record.

NUGGET CLASSIC NOTES
? West Virginia Assistant Coach Malikah Willis was a member of the Iowa women’s basketball team from 1994-98. She helped the Hawkeyes to Big Ten titles in 1995 and 1996. She graduated with a degree in media studies and African American studies from the University of Iowa in 1998.

? Columbia senior Caitlin Stachon is from Urbandale, IA, and prepped at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines.

? Nevada Head Coach Jane Albright spent nine seasons in the Big Ten as the head coach at Wisconsin. She is the program’s winningest coach.

BIG SECOND HALF LIFTS IOWA PAST WILLIAM & MARY
Iowa upped its record to 4-1 with a 78-54 win over William & Mary Tuesday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes outscored William & Mary, 44-27 in the second half, and shot .457 from the field, including .500 from distance. Iowa also out-rebounded the Tribe, 30-17 in the second half.

Iowa dominated the interior, outscoring William & Mary, 36-26 in the paint. The Hawkeyes also cashed in on 11 second chance points and 13 fast break points.

WAHLIN STAYS HOT
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin followed her career-best performance at Northern Iowa with a 20-point performance against William & Mary Tuesday. Wahlin finished 8-13 from the floor, and 4-8 from distance.

Wahlin filled up the stat sheet, adding six rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes of action. Wahlin only had one turnover against a pressuring Tribe defense.

PRINTY ALL OVER THE COURT
Freshman Jaime Printy continued her impressive start in Black and Gold, with 20 points against William & Mary. She was one rebound away from her first-career double-double, adding nine rebounds and five assists.

TAYLOR SHINES IN FIRST START
Fresh off her first significant action of the season Sunday at Northern Iowa, freshman Theairra Taylor made the most of her first-ever start as a Hawkeye.

Taylor poured in 16 points (7-15 FGs, 2-3 3PT FGs), along with nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal in 36 minutes of play.

MACHADO GIVES SPARK OFF THE BENCH
With starter Morgan Johnson in early foul trouble, freshman Gabby Machado more than filled the role in the paint against William & Mary.

Machado scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out two assists and tallied two steals in just 19 minutes of action Tuesday night.

CAREER DAY FOR WAHLIN
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin poured in a career-high 33 points against Northern Iowa. She also notched career-highs in field goals made (11) and attempted (19), three-pointers made (6) and attempted (10) and free throws made (5) and attempted (6). Her five five three-pointers were just one shy of the school record.

Wahlin led Iowa’s second-half comeback with 21 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4-5 from three point range and all five free throws in the final half.

Wahlin leads the Big Ten in three-pointers made per game (3), ranks second in average minutes played (35.5) and sixth in scoring (17.5).

JOHNSON TIES SCHOOL RECORD
Freshman Morgan Johnson tied a school record with seven blocked shots against Northern Iowa Sunday. Johnson now holds the record with Jerica Watson (vs. Kent State, 12/8/01) and Tangela Smith (at Michigan State, 1/15/95). She currently ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks per game (2.75).

Johnson added 11 points and eight rebounds in the win.

INJURY UPDATE
Senior JoAnn Hamlin is out indefinitely after having a blood clot removed from her right leg.

Junior Kachine Alexander is expected to miss one month with a stress fracture in her right leg.

Sophomore Shante Jones is questionable for the Nugget Classic with a foot injury.

Sophomore Hannah Draxten is probable for the Nugget Classic after being sidelined since the start of the season with a herniated disc in her back.

ALEXANDER’S NUMBERS WILL BE MISSED
Junior Kachine Alexander had a solid start to the season. Alexander has recorded a double-double in each of Iowa’s first three games, and was averaging 21 points and 15.7 rebounds, before suffering a stress fracture in her right leg.

Alexander currently leads the Big Ten in rebounding (15.7) and offensive rebounds (8.3). She also ranks second in scoring (21) and defensive rebounds (7.3), third in minutes played (34.6) and fifth in assists (4.3).

UNDERCLASSMEN CONTRIBUTING
Iowa’s freshmen and sophomore class are putting up big numbers for the Hawkeyes this season.

Hawkeye underclassmen are responsible for 83 percent of the team’s blocks, 80 percent of minutes played and assists, 79 percent of scoring, 77 percent of steals and 63 percent of rebounds.

ALEXANDER NAMED CO-BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Kachine Alexander was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 16 after earning MVP honors at the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge.

Alexander recorded double-doubles in each of Iowa’s first two games. She tied a Hawkeye Challenge tournament record by grabbing 18 rebounds (nine offensive, nine defensive), along with netting 19 points in Iowa’s season-opening win over Santa Clara. Both her 19 points and 18 rebounds were game highs.

Alexander followed on Sunday with a 21 point, 12 rebound (nine offensive, three defensive) performance in the championship game against Illinois State. Alexander was clutch down the stretch at the free-throw line, making 13-16 attempts from the charity stripe.

WAHLIN LANDS ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin was named to the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge all-tournament team after two solid performances to open the season.

Against Santa Clara, Wahlin netted 13 points and added three rebounds.

Wahlin was clutch down the stretch in the championship against Illinois State, scoring seven points during Iowa’s crucial 12-2 run in the final three minutes of the second half to give the Hawkeyes the victory. Wahlin drained a three-pointer with 3:46 left to give Iowa a one-point lead at 64-63. She then hit a jumper with 37 second left, extending Iowa’s lead to five points at 70-65. Wahlin added two free throws on the next trip down the court to seal the win.

PRESEASON RANKINGS
Iowa was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by both the league coaches and media. Ohio State was tabbed as the favorite to win the Big Ten, with Michigan State coming in second.

WELCOME TO IOWA CITY
The Hawkeyes welcome five freshmen to the squad this season, one at each position.

Trisha Nesbitt (Ames, IA), will most likely play point guard for Iowa this season. She was a three-time all-conference and two-time first team all-district and all-state selection.

Jaime Printy (Marion, IA) could play both guard positions. She became the youngest player (15) ever to verbally commit to the Iowa Women’s Basketball team. She also played high school basketball at Coach Bluder’s alma mater (Linn-Mar). She was a three-time consensus first team all-state, all-district, all-metro and all-conference pick.

Theairra Taylor (St. Paul, MN) is a 5-11 guard. She was a finalist for 2009 Miss Minnesota Basketball award and was the 2009 St. Paul City Conference Player of the Year. Taylor also earned Associated Press and Pioneer Press first team all-state honors.

Gabby Machado (Pontiac, MI) ranked in the Top 10 in the state of Michigan’s 2009 recruiting class. She was a Detroit News Class “A” all-state honorable mention selection.

Morgan Johnson (Platte County, MO) was the Miss Show Me Basketball Award winner, given to the top prep senior in the state of Missouri. She was also named the 2009 Direnna Award winner, given to top prep in the Kansas City Area, and the Kansas City Star Scholar Athlete of the Year.

HOME GROWN HAWKEYES
Four Hawkeyes prepped in the state of Iowa. Those players are junior Kelsey Cermak (Norwalk), sophomore Kelly Krei (Iowa City) and freshmen Trisha Nesbitt (Ames) and Jaime Printy (Marion).

LAND OF 10,000 HAWKEYES
The 2009-10 edition of the Iowa Women’s Basketball team has four players from the state of Minnesota. They include junior Kachine Alexander (Minneapolis), sophomores Kamille Wahlin (Crookston) and Hannah Draxten (Fergus Falls) and freshman Theairra Taylor (St. Paul).

HAWK TALK WITH Lisa Bluder
“Hawk Talk With Lisa Bluder” is the weekly radio call-in show of Iowa’s head women’s basketball coach. Hosted by Brent Balbinot, the radio voice of the Hawkeyes, “Hawk Talk With Lisa Bluder” is 60 minutes of discussion about Iowa women’s basketball. All shows begin at 6 p.m. and originate from Bob’s Your Uncle restaurant on North Dodge Street (Highway 1) in Iowa City, and are open to the public. Everyone who attends receives a free game ticket and discounts on “Show Night Specials” on the Bob’s Your Uncle menu.

Dates are listed below. November 30, December 7, 14, 21 and 30, January 4, 11, 18 and 25, February 1, 8, 15 and 22 and March 1.

THE Lisa Bluder SHOW
“The Lisa Bluder Show,” featuring Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder and KCRG-TV9’s John Campbell, will air four times during the regular season on KCRG-TV9. Dates and times are listed below.
Thursday, December 31 – 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 16 – 5 p.m.
Sunday, January 20 – 5 p.m.

UP NEXT
Iowa returns home Wednesday, Dec. 2 to face Boston College in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.