Hawkeyes, Panthers Set for Sunday Showdown

Nov. 22, 2013

• Read the latest issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
• 2014 Media Guide
• IowaWomensBasketball.com
• Order Iowa Women’s Basketball Tickets Online
• Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone/ipad app!
• Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
• Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

Iowa Game Notes — at UNI

THE SETTING:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team (4-1) stays on the road this weekend, playing at Northern Iowa (2-2) on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

AUDIO COVERAGE:
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the action for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City, AM-1360 KMJM in Cedar Rapids, AM-1040 WHO in Des Moines or on the Hawkeye All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com. Balbinot is in his 10th season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her ninth providing analysis.

TELEVISION/WEBSTREAM:
Sunday’s contest can be seen live on the Panther Sports Network (KCRG 9.2, CFU 15, WOI 5.2 and KCAU 9.2), and will be streamed on ESPN3.com.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Hawkeye fans can also follow the action via live stats. The link can be accessed on the women’s basketball schedule page.

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,137 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 696-441 (.612). That includes a 348-178 (.662) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 339-97 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

NCAA STREAK LEADS THE BIG TEN:
Iowa is the only Big Ten team, and one of only 13 teams in the country, to have appeared in the last six NCAA Tournaments.

IOWA IN THE RANKINGS:
The Hawkeyes are the first team listed receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Seven Iowa opponents are also ranked in the Associated Press/USA Today polls: Nebraska (11/10), Penn State (14/15), Colorado (16/20), Purdue (18/22), Michigan State (21/19), Iowa State (22/16) and Dayton (RV/24). In addition, Ohio State is receiving votes.

SCOUTING NORTHERN IOWA:
The Panthers are 2-2. UNI lost to Minnesota (73-55) in its home opener, before defeating North Dakota at home (61-56). The Panthers fell at South Dakota State (80-44), before winning their last contest at North Dakota State (86-82). UNI is coached by Tanya Warren. Now in her seventh season, Warren led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011 and the program’s first-ever regular-season MVC title in 2011. UNI finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 17-17 overall and 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference, placing fourth in the MVC regular season standings. The Panthers registered their first WNIT victory in school history, defeating Marquette, 61-59, in the first round. The Panthers are paced by Jen Keitel (14.5 points per game) and Stephanie Davison (13.5).

ALL-TIME SERIES:
Iowa leads the all-time series, 16-2. Northern Iowa won the first meeting in the series during the 1974-75 season in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes then won 10-straight over UNI before the Panthers picked up their second win during the 2006-07 season. Iowa has won the last six meetings overall and holds an 8-1 record against Northern Iowa in games played in Cedar Falls.

THE LAST MEETING:
Iowa defeated UNI inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 1 last year, 68-46. Iowa used an 18-8 run that started with Bethany Doolittle’s layup with 8:12 left to play to take a 10-point game at 48-38 to 66-46 when Jaime Printy dropped a pair of free throws with 60 ticks left in the game. Morgan Johnson paced the Hawkeyes with a double-double: 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 12 rebounds. Samantha Logic added 15 points and Printy another nine for the Hawkeyes. Brook Brown paced UNI with 12 points.

THE LAST MEETING IN CEDAR FALLS:
Iowa picked up its first road victory of the 2011-12 season with a 78-74 win at Northern Iowa (Nov. 19). The Hawkeyes enjoyed a 14-point lead with 12 minutes remaining, but a hard-fought comeback by the Panthers saw them gain a 74-73 lead with 36 seconds left. Senior Kamille Wahlin buried a deep three-pointer with 31 seconds on the clock to give Iowa a 76-74 advantage, and a tough defensive stop on Northern Iowa’s next possession led to a pair of game-clinching free throws by junior Jaime Printy. Five players hit double figures for Iowa, led by Morgan Johnon’s 23 points (9-of-13 FGs). Printy added 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Samantha Logic, Bethany Doolittle and Wahlin each netted 10.

IOWA – NORTHERN IOWA NOTES:
? Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder graduated with a degree in marketing from Northern Iowa in 1983. She was a three-year starter for the Panther women’s basketball team.
? Eleven players competing in the contest are from Iowa. Eight of Northern Iowa’s players are from the state of Iowa. Three Hawkeyes hail from the Hawkeye state.
? Sunday’s game features three coaches who are members of the Iowa Girls High School Hall of Fame. Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren (Des Moines Lincoln), along with Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen (Elk Horn Kimballton) and Iowa assistant coach Jenni Fitzgerald (North Scott), were all inducted after stellar high school careers.

BALANCED ATTACK
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Samantha Logic (15.6 ppg), Bethany Doolittle (13.2), Ally Disterhoft (12.6), Theairra Taylor (10.8), and Melissa Dixon (10.2). Six Hawkeyes scored in double figures in Iowa’s overtime win against No. 14 Dayton, and Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last three contests.

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is seventh in career assists (390). She needs two more assists to move past Johanna Solverson for sixth place.
? Melissa Dixon ranks 10th in career 3-pointers (119). She needs seven more 3-pointers to move past Johanna Solverson for ninth place.
? Bethany Doolittle is seventh all-time with 96 career blocks. She needs 19 blocks to move past Jennie Lillis for fifth place.

HAWKEYES RALLY, FALL SHORT AT NO. 16 COLORADO:
Iowa scored a season-high 52 points in the second half, but late woes at the free throw line doomed the Hawkeye comeback during a 90-87 loss to No. 16 Colorado on Nov. 20 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. Iowa’s point total ended a 34-game stretch where Colorado held its opponents to 70 points or less. The Buffaloes (3-0) have now won 27-straight nonconference regular season games. Hawkeye junior Samantha Logic shared a game-high scoring honors with 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the line. She had six assists and five rebounds. Four Iowa players scored in double figures: Logic, Kali Peschel and Theairra Taylor (12 apiece), and Bethany Doolittle (10). Doolittle had a team-high seven rebounds.

CLIMBING TO THE TOP:
Lisa Bluder needs 15 wins to surpass Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer (269 wins) as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach. Bluder is 255-158 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.

IOWA SELECTED TO HOST NCAA 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS:
The University of Iowa and Carver-Hawkeye Arena have been selected by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee to serve as one of 16 hosts for the first and second rounds of the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Iowa is 1-of-8 schools chosen to host first/second round games for the second-straight year. The 2014 NCAA Championship will mark the 13th time the University of Iowa has served as a host. Iowa hosted its first NCAA action in 1986 when it was one of four regional final sites. Carver-Hawkeye Arena also hosted from 1986-90, 1992-94, 1996-98 and in 2009 and 2013. Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted the regional finals four times and first and/or second round games 11 times. Iowa hosted first and second round games in 2009. Despite having late afternoon and evening games on a Sunday in March of 2009, Iowa’s site recorded the fourth-highest first round attendance (5,615). In 2013, the first round of the Iowa City Regional drew 6,836 fans, which was the third-best attended site among the 16 host sites. In addition, Iowa City had the sixth-best figure for second round games (4,942) and the fifth-highest total attendance (11,778).

BLUDER GETS WIN NO. 600:
Head coach Lisa Bluder became the 42nd coach in NCAA women’s basketball history (all divisions) and only the 25th Division I head coach (minimum 10 years at a DI school) to collect 600 wins Jan. 20 vs. Purdue. Bluder is one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins.

HAWKEYES LIKE TO SHARE:
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.8 per contest.
? Samantha Logic leads the league in assists, averaging 7.4 a game.
? As a team, Iowa registered 30 assists, one shy of the school record, in the win against No. 14 Dayton on Nov. 10.
? Iowa broke the school record for single-season assists last year in the win over Miami (March 24). The previous record of 514 was set in 2011-12. Iowa finished with 531 assists. Iowa finished second in the Big Ten and 26th in the NCAA with 15.7 assists per game. Iowa recorded at least 17 assists in 15 games, including five games with 20 or more.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
Check out the Iowa women’s basketball Facebook page or the University of Iowa Athletics Facebook page (/iowawomenshoops). Fans can also follow @IowaWBB or @TheIowaHawkeyes on Twitter.

UP NEXT:
The Hawkeyes are currently on a five-game road trip. Following the game at Northern Iowa on Sunday, Iowa will take on USC, Boston College and UNC-Wilmington in the Cancun Challenge, Nov. 28-30.