Jan. 18, 2010
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IOWA CITY – THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-10, 1-6) wrap up a two-game road trip Thursday at Illinois (11-6, 3-4). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
ON YOUR COMPUTER
Hawkeye fans can follow the game via live stats (Gametracker). The Gametracker link can be accessed under the “Calendar” tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page.
Thursday’s game at Illinois will also be webcast live on BigTenNetwork.com for a $2.99 fee.
ON YOUR RADIO
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Sunday’s game for the Hawkeye Radio Network. The game can be heard on AM-800 KXIC, AM-600 WMT, 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 providing analysis.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,020 games, since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 618-402 (.606). That includes a 310-156 (.665) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 291-87 (.770) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Thursday will be the 61st meeting between the two schools, with Iowa holding a 44-16 advantage in the all-time series. The 43 victories are the most the Hawkeyes have against any other Big Ten opponent. Iowa has won 41 of the last 48 meetings, including nine of the last 10. Iowa won 21-straight games in the series between 1986 and 1996. The Hawkeyes are 18-10 in games played at Illinois, and have won the last five matchups at Assembly Hall.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
The Illinois Fighting Illini are 11-6 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play. In its last game, Illinois was defeated at Wisconsin, 61-53. Senior center Jenna Smith became Illinois’ all-time rebounding leader in the game, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds. Wisconsin capitalized on Illinois turnovers, converting 16 miscues into 18 points. Karisma Penn led the Fighting Illini with 13 points, while Smith and Lacey Simpson led the way with seven rebounds.
Smith leads the team in both scoring (18.8 ) and rebounding (10.9). Penn is next on the team at 11.8 points per game, while Simpson is averaging 6.2 boards per contest. As a team, the Fighting Illini are shooting .420 from the field, including .300 from behind the arc.
IOWA VS. ILLINOIS NOTES
? Illinois third-year Head Coach Jolette Law is a 1990 graduate of the University of Iowa. Law, who was an all-American in 1990, played four years (1986-90) fo former Iowa Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer. Law currently ranks 20th in Iowa career scoring (1,137), sixth in steals (205) and eighth in assists (353). The Hawkeyes won or shared four Big Ten championships, reached the Elite Eight twice and won 46-straight home games during her career.
? Iowa and Illinois share one common non-conference opponent in Illinois State. Both teams defeated the Redbirds (Iowa, 75-67, Illinois, 62-51).
? Iowa’s Megan Considine is the only player from the state of Illinois on the Hawkeye roster. Thursday’s game will be the first trip back to Illinois for Considine.
LAST MEETING
Iowa and its five-member senior class beat Illinois, 69-56, on the Hawkeyes’ “Senior Night” in Iowa City.
Kachine Alexander posted a double-double, recording 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Kamille Wahlin chipped in 13 points, while Hannah Draxten contributed eight points and two assists off the bench.
Iowa outscored Illinois, 15-7 at the foul line, shooting 88 percent from the charity stripe. The Fighting Illini were led by Jenna Smith, who scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
HAWKEYES DROP ROAD GAME AT PURDUE
The Hawkeyes dropped their fourth-straight game Sunday, losing at Purdue, 81-59.
The Boilermakers jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the first 12:41 of the contest, and the Hawkeyes couldn’t battle back. Purdue outscored Iowa, 44-23 in the first half, but the Hawkeyes responded in the second half, scoring 36 points to Purdue’s 37.
Junior Kachine Alexander led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 18 points, and also tallied eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. Freshman Morgan Johnson added six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Purdue’s Brittany Rayburn led all scorers with 28 points on 8-15 shooting, including 4-7 behind the arc.
IOWA AT PURDUE TIP-INS
? Purdue now leads the all-time series, 33-24. The Boilermakers have won 14 of the last 16 contests, including five-straight. Iowa is now 9-18 in games played in West Lafayette, and have dropped the last 10 games at Mackey Arena.
? Purdue used a strong shooting performance to come away with the win. The Boilermakers shot .482 (27-56) from the field and .471 (8-17) from beyond the arc. Iowa shot just .370 (20-54) from the field, including just .278 (5-18) from distance.
? Iowa was never able to lead in Sunday’s game.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF FREE THROWS
Iowa, under Head Coach Lisa Bluder, is proving to be one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country.
The Hawkeyes have ranked in the top 18 in the nation four of the past five seasons. Iowa finished the 2005-06 season ranked 10th (.760), 2006-07 ranked fifth (.788) and also ranked fifth (.792) last season.
The 2009-10 campaign is no different. Iowa currently ranks 18th in free throw percentage across the NCAA (.756). The Hawkeyes are led by freshman Jaime Printy, who is a blistering .905 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Kamille Wahlin is also shooting an impressive .870 from the line.
OH, SO CLOSE
Six of Iowa’s 10 losses have been by six points or less, with three of those being by three points. Iowa has also lost two overtime games by a combined seven points.
? The Hawkeyes had a three-point attempt at the buzzer against West Virginia fall short, that would have sent the game to overtime.
? Against Boston College (Dec. 2), Iowa missed a three-pointer with seven seconds left that would have tied the game.
? Against Michigan (Dec. 6), Iowa missed the front-end of a one-and-one from the free throw line with both 27 and 11 seconds left, each time trailing by only one point.
? Iowa’s two overtime losses came at Penn State (Dec. 28, four point loss) and at Minnesota (Jan. 3, three point loss). In each of those games, the Hawkeyes had the potential game winning shot in regulation bounce off the iron as time expired.
? Iowa led by nine points with 9:48 remaining against Penn State (Jan. 14), but an 11-0 Lady Lion run gave them a 51-49 advantage with 7:13 left. Penn State took the lead for good with 5:36 left, as Iowa could only come within four points with 44 seconds left.
? In addition, Iowa led No. 19 Kansas by three points (54-51) with 6:41 remaining in the game, but the Jayhawks closed the contest with a 15-1 run.
CLIMBING THE RECORDS LADDER
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin and freshman Jaime Printy and Morgan Johnson are putting their names in the Hawkeye records book this season.
Printy’s 39 made three-pointers ranks second for an Iowa freshman. She trails Lindsey Meder, who made 49 treys during the 1998-99 season.
Johnson’s 45 blocks rank third all-time for a Hawkeye freshman. She trails Megan Skouby (47) for second place and Tangela Smith (73) for first place.
Wahlin’s 46 made three-pointers currently ranks second in Iowa history for a sophomore. She trails Wendy Ausdemore (62) for first place.
HAWKEYES LEADING IN STAT CATEGORIES
Several of Iowa’s statistics are towards the top of the Big Ten, and measure up well across the country.
? As a team, the Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.756) and three-pointers made per game (7.50). Iowa also ranks third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.351). Nationally – the Hawkeyes are 18 in free throw percentage, 20th in three-pointers made per game and 65th in three-point percentage.
? Freshman Jaime Printy leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.905) and ranks second in three-pointers made per game (2.28). In league games only, Printy is second in three-pointers made per game (2.29). Among Big Ten freshmen, Printy ranks first in scoring and free-throw percentage.
? Freshman Morgan Johnson leads Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (7.1) and blocked shots (2.50). She also ranks third across the conference in blocks,second in league games only and 18th nationally.
? Sophomore Kamille Wahlin leads the league in three-pointers made per game (2.56) and minutes played (35.56). Nationally, Wahiln is 52nd in three-pointers made per game.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Junior Kachine Alexander collected her sixth double-double of the season at Michigan Jan. 7. Alexander scored 10 points and recorded 12 rebounds. It was also Alexander’s 15th career double-double.
Alexander had double-doubles in each of Iowa’s first three games, before missing the next seven games with a stress fracture. She now has a double-double in Iowa’s last three contests.
Alexander was close to yet another double-double Thursday against Penn State, but came up two points short. She finished with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds against the Lady Lions.
LOGGING MAJOR MINUTES
Due to injuries, Iowa’s roster has been forced to play a large amount of minutes so far.
Four players have played over 30 minutes a game. Kamille Wahlin is playing 35.6 minutes per game, Jaime Printy is playing 32.8 minutes, Kachine Alexander is at 32.2 and Kelly Krei is at 31.3.
PLAYING THEM ALL
Despite the injuries, six Hawkeyes have managed to play in all 18 games this season.
Kamille Wahlin, Jaime Printy, Morgan Johnson, Kelly Krei, Trisha Nesbitt and Kelsey Cermak have seen action in all contests. Wahlin, Printy and Johnson have started all 18 games, while Krei has started 17. Cermak has started two games for the Hawkeyes.
NEVER RIDING THE PINE
Sophomores Kelly Krei and Kamille Wahlin have both played all 40 minutes in back-to-back games this season.
Krei never left the court in consecutive games against Illinois State (Nov. 15) and Kansas (Nov. 18). Wahlin did the same against Boston College (Dec. 2) and Michigan (Dec. 6).
Wahlin also played over 40 minutes in Iowa’s two overtime games. She registered 43 minutes at Penn State (Dec. 28) and 41 minutes at Minnesota (Jan. 3).
UNDERCLASSMEN CONTRIBUTING
Iowa’s freshmen and sophomore class are putting up big numbers for the Hawkeyes this season.
Hawkeye underclassmen are responsible for 84 percent of the teams’ points (1,016-1203), 84 percent of the minutes played (3,061-3,650) and 68 percent of rebounds (461-687).
STEALING AWAY FROM THE BADGERS
Sophomores Kelly Krei and Kamille Wahlin both set career highs in steals against Wisconsin Dec. 31.
Krei finished with six steals, while Wahlin swiped four. The two combined for 10 of Iowa’s 12 total steals. Krei had all six of her steals in the first half, while three of Wahlin’s four came in the second period.
HAWKEYES HIT FREE THROW MARKS
Iowa shot 20-21 (.952) from the charity stripe at Minnesota Jan. 3, which is a school record for free throw percentage (minimum 20 attempts).
Jaime Printy led the way, going 8-8, while Kachine Alexander and Trisha Nesbitt each went 4-4.
Earlier this season, Iowa tied the school record for single-game free throw percentage, converting all 16 attempts against Columbia (1.000).
Freshman Morgan Johnson led the way, going 6-6. Sophomore Kamille Wahlin and freshman Theairra Taylor each went 4-4, while freshman Gabby Machado finished 2-2.
JOHNSON TIES SCHOOL RECORD…AGAIN
Freshman Morgan Johnson has tied the school record for blocked shots in a game (7) twice this season.
Johnson first blocked seven shots at Northern Iowa Nov. 22. She repeated the accomplishment Jan. 14 against Penn State. Johnson’s seven blocks are also a career high.
Johnson holds the record with Jerica Watson (vs. Kent State, 12/8/01) and Tangela Smith (at Michigan State, 1/15/95).
WAHLIN SHOOTS HER WAY INTO RECORD BOOKS
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin went 7-15 from three-point range against Penn State Dec. 28, which set one school record, and tied another.
Wahlin’s 15 three-point attempts set a school record for long distance shots attempted in a single game. Her seven made treys also tied Lindsey Meder’s school record, set against Wisconsin Dec. 31, 2000.
THREE HAWKEYES OUT FOR SEASON
Senior JoAnn Hamlin, sophomore Hannah Draxten and freshman Theairra Taylor will all miss the season with injuries.
Hamlin has missed the entire season after having a blood clot removed in her right leg. Taylor suffered a torn ACL in Iowa’s win over South Dakota State. Draxten has played four games this season, despite suffering from a herniated disc. It was announced after Iowa’s loss at Penn State that Draxten will be forced to miss the rest of the season due to the back injury.
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.
PRINTY NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Jaime Printy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, Jan. 4.
Printy led the Hawkeyes in a win over Wisconsin and a tough overtime loss at Minnesota, averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game last week. The freshman contributed a career high 26 points, including a perfect 8-8 mark at the free-throw line, against the Golden Gophers on Sunday. Printy also recorded three assists and two boards in the effort. On Thursday vs. the Badgers, she tallied 12 points with seven assists and five rebounds.
Printy first earned the award after stellar games against William & Mary, West Virginia and Columbia.
Printy averaged 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, as the Hawkeyes posted a 2-1 record that week. Printy recorded her first-ever 20-point game against William & Mary, adding nine rebounds with five assists. Against West Virginia in the first round of the Nugget Classic in Reno, Printy netted 16 points with four boards and five assists in the close, three-point loss. The Marion, IA, native scored Iowa’s first eight points against the Mountaineers, and made her first four shots, including a perfect 3-3 from distance.
Printy saved her best for last in Iowa’s win over Columbia. She scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists in the thrilling win. Printy nailed a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to tie the game, giving Iowa a chance to win on its next possession.
WAHLIN ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
Sophomore Kamille Wahlin was chosen to both the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge and Nugget Classic all-tournament teams.
In the season-opening Hawkeye Challenge, Wahlin netted 13 points and added three rebounds.
She 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 (64-63). She then hit a jumper with 37 second left, extending Iowa’s lead to five points (70-65). Wahlin added two free throws on the next trip down the court to seal the win.
Wahlin scored 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists against West Virginia in the Nugget Classic. She followed with 18 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 10 seconds left, to go along with three points and four assists against Columbia in the consolation game.
PRINTY HITS CAREER MARK AGAINST LADY LIONS
Freshman Jaime Printy tied a career high in points Jan. 14 against Penn State, finishing with 26 points.
Printy was 9-19 from the field, including 4-8 from three-ponit range and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe against Penn State. She aslo added two assists in 32 minutes of action.
Printy also scored 26 points in Iowa’s game at Minnesota Jan. 3. Thursday’s game marked the second time in three games Printy has gone for 26 points.
PRINTY PUTS ON A SHOW AGAINST THE JACKS
Freshman Jaime Printy came up big for Iowa in the clutch against South Dakota State Tuesday.
With the Hawkeyes ahead by one point (67-66) at the 3:34 mark in the second half, Printy ignited a 15-3 run to close the game, scoring the first seven points of the surge, and all nine of her second half points, during the crucial stretch.
Printy drained a long-distance three to put Iowa up four (70-66) at the three-minute mark. On the next two possessions, Printy sliced through the lane with the shot clock winding down, nailing layups to give Iowa a 74-66 advantage. She then scored the final two points of the game on a layup with two seconds remaining for the final count.
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).
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes return home for a two-game homestand. First, Iowa will host Northwestern Sunday at 4 p.m. Next, the Hawkeyes will entertain Purdue Sunday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.