Women's Hoops Hosts Idaho State Saturday

Dec. 6, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes — Idaho State

THE SETTING:
The 25th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team (9-1) hosts Idaho State on Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes enter the contest on a five-game win streak (the second-longest in the Big Ten), with an overall mark of 9-1. Iowa is off to its best start in three seasons, when it started the 2010-11 campaign with a 12-1 record.

Tickets are $10 for adults. Youth — high school-aged and younger — are admitted free to all weekday games, while weekend games are $6. Youth — five years old and younger — are admitted free to all games, and UI students are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased online at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

AUDIO COVERAGE:
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call the action for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest 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.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Hawkeye fans can watch live on the Big Ten Digital Network via Hawkeye All-Access. Fans can also follow the action via live stats (Gametracker). The “GT” link can be accessed under the “Calendar” tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page. Follow @IowaWBB on Twitter for game updates.

QUICK HITS:
? Iowa (9-1) is off to its best start in three seasons, when it started the 2010-11 campaign with a 12-1 record.
? The Hawkeyes have won five-straight games, and are 5-0 at home this season.
? Iowa — 2-1 against ranked opponents this season — is averaging 83.0 points and 20.0 assists per contest. Iowa leads the Big Ten in assists. Four Hawkeyes are averaging double figures (points).
? On two separate occasions this season, Iowa has registered 30 assists as a team (Nov. 14 vs. Dayton; Nov. 30 vs. UNC-Wilmington). The school record for assists in a game is 31.

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,142 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 701-441 (.613). That includes a 348-178 (.662) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 340-97 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

CLIMBING TO THE TOP:
Lisa Bluder needs 10 wins to surpass Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer (269) as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach. Bluder is 260-158 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.

HAWKEYES CRACK AP TOP 25 POLL:
Iowa cracked The Associated Press Top 25 poll this week, ranking 25th with 93 votes. Iowa is receiving votes in the USA Today Top 25 poll. Connecticut is the only team in the top 25 poll that entered the week with more victories (nine) than the Hawkeyes. Seven Iowa opponents are also ranked in the Associated Press/USA Today polls: Penn State (10/11), Colorado (11/17), Nebraska (15/13), Purdue (16/22), Iowa State (20/12), Syracuse (22/23) and Michigan State (RV/25). In addition, Dayton and Northwestern are receiving votes.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE:
The Bengals are 2-5 this season after a 78-59 loss at Drake on Thursday night in Des Moines. Idaho State is 2-0 at home this season, and 0-5 on the road. The Bengals are led offensively by Lindsey Reed, who is averaging 15.4 points per contest. Idaho State is coached by Seton Sobolewski. He is in his sixth season. In 2012, Sobolewski led the Bengals to their third regular season and Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship. Idaho State made its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history, facing the Miami Hurricanes in the first round. The Bengals finished 18-13 last season and made an appearance in the WNIT. Iowa claimed the only meeting between the two schools during the 1982-83 season, 74-65, in Iowa City.

NOTES — IOWA RALLIES TO TOP SYRACUSE IN B1G/ACC CHALLENGE, 97-91:
? Iowa has scored 199 points over its last two games, after defeating UNC-Wilmington, 102-65, on Nov. 30 in the Cancun Challenge.
? Iowa has scored 97 points or more, three times this season.
? Syracuse was limiting opponents to a 53.8 points per game average coming into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest
? Syracuse’s largest lead during the game was 14 points.
? Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last eight contests.
? Iowa tallied 28 assists on 33 made field goals.
? The Hawkeyes are 14-8 all-time against ACC opponents, including a 2-0 mark this season. Iowa defeated Boston College, 78-68, on Nov. 29 in the Cancun Challenge.
? Junior center Bethany Doolittle finished with a career-high 25 points. Her previous high came earlier this season in Iowa’s 97-93 overtime win over No. 14 Dayton (22).
? She registered four blocks. She is third in the Big Ten in blocks, and ranks sixth in program history with 104 career blocked shots.
? Junior guard Samantha Logic returned following a first-half injury to finish with 14 points and seven assists.
? The preseason All-Big Ten honoree has scored in double figures in 7-of-10 games this season, and tallied seven or more assists in five.

DIXON CATCHING FIRE:
? Junior guard Melissa Dixon finished with seven 3-point field goals in the win over Syracuse, tying a personal and school record. The feat has been accomplished five times in program history (twice by Dixon).
? Dixon made seven 3-pointers in Iowa’s win against UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 30), giving her 14 made 3-pointers over the last two games – the most in a two-game stretch in school history.
? After converting seven 3-pointers total during the first six games (7-of-46) of the season, Dixon has made 22 over the last four games (22-of-44).
? Dixon finished with 27 points in tonight’s win over Syracuse (all coming in the second half – one shy of the school record for most points in a half), after posting a career-best 32 in Iowa’s win against UNC-Wilmington. She has scored 59 points total over the last two games.
? She has scored 17 points or more during the last four contests (18, 17, 32, 27), for an average of 23.5 points per game.
? Prior to the Cancun Challenge, Dixon was averaging 9.7 points per game. She is now Iowa’s leading scorer, averaging 15.2 points per outing.
? Dixon surpassed Kristi Faulkner (138) for eighth on Iowa’s career 3-point list. Dixon has 142 career 3-pointers.

BALANCED ATTACK:
Four Hawkeyes are averaging double figures, and five players are averaging at least 9.4 points per contest: Melissa Dixon (15.2), Samantha Logic (14.3 ppg), Bethany Doolittle (14.1), Ally Disterhoft (11.2), and Theairra Taylor (9.4). 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 eight contests.

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is fourth in career assists (423). She surpassed Kristi Smith and Jaime Printy (412) during the Cancun Challenge, and needs five assists to take over third place (Kamille Wahlin – 427).
? Melissa Dixon surpassed Kristi Faulkner (138) for eighth on Iowa’s career 3-point list in Iowa’s win against Syracuse (Dec. 5). Dixon has 142 career 3-pointers, and needs 15 more to surpass Leah Magner for seventh (156).
? Bethany Doolittle is sixth all-time with 104 career blocks. She needs 11 blocks to surpass Jennie Lillis (114) for fifth place.

B1G HONOR ROLL:
? Two Hawkeyes — Samantha Logic and Melissa Dixon — have been named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll in the last two weeks.
? Logic was named to the Honor Roll on Nov. 25 after averaging 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals as Iowa split a pair of road contests at No. 16 Colorado and UNI.
? Dixon was honored Dec. 2 after being named MVP of the Cancun Challenge Mayan Division, where she averaged 22.3 points per game, including a career-high 32 against UNC-Wilmington.

HAWKEYES CONTINUE TREND AGAINST RANKED FOES:
? Iowa is 2-1 this season against ranked opponents:
– W vs. No. 14 Dayton (97-93 in overtime) – Nov. 10
– L at No. 16 Colorado (90-87) – Nov. 20
– W vs. No. 22 Syracuse (97-91) – Dec. 5
? The Hawkeyes have defeated nine top-25 opponents since the start of last season (9-5 record).
? Iowa is averaging 93.7 points per game during its three contests against ranked teams this season.
? The Hawkeyes have recorded at least one win against a top-25 team in all but two seasons under Bluder. In nine of those seasons, Iowa has knocked off at least one top-15 opponent.
? This year marks the seventh time in school history that Iowa has played at least three ranked teams prior to conference action. Iowa faced five ranked opponents in 1990 (2-3 record) and three in 2012 (last year) (3-0), 1999 (0-3), 1995 (2-1), 1993 (3-0), and 1989 (1-2).
? Last season marked just the second time in school history that Iowa defeated three ranked teams prior to Big Ten play (No. 12 West Virginia, No. 22 Iowa State, No. 20 Texas). The only other time Iowa defeated three ranked opponents was in 1993 (No. 4 Louisiana Tech, No. 20 Missouri State, No. 9 Southern California).
? Iowa tied the school record for number of wins over ranked teams in a season last year with seven. The Hawkeyes have accomplished the feat three other times (1995-96, 1993-94, 1992-93). Iowa faced 11 ranked teams last season, which tied for the most games against ranked opponents in a season. The only other time Iowa played 11 ranked teams in a season was in 1992-93 (7-4 record).

HAWKEYES LIKE TO SHARE:
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in assists, averaging 20.0 per contest. Iowa also leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
? Samantha Logic leads the league in assists, averaging 7.0 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 matched that number in its win against UNC-Wilmington in the Cancun Challenge (Nov. 30).
? 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.

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.

REYNOLDS NOMINATED FOR ALLSTATE WBCA GOOD WORKS TEAM:
Kathryn Reynolds has been nominated for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Allstate Good Works Team. The announcement was made Dec. 3 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and Allstate Insurance Company.

NCAA 1ST AND 2ND ROUND TICKETS ON SALE:
Tickets for the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds, hosted by the University of Iowa, are now on sale for UI women’s basketball season ticket holders and the general public. Iowa’s First and Second Round Games will be played Sunday, March 23 (4:30 and 7 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 25 (8:30 p.m.). The UI was one of 16 sites chosen to host First and Second Round Games, and 1-of-8 chosen to host in back-to-back years. Fans can order tickets by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, visiting the Carver-Hawkeye Arena ticket office, or by visiting hawkeyesports.com.

HAWKEYE DEFENSE:
Iowa limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 38 points on Nov. 13, the fewest total for an opponent in 19 years. The Hawkeyes then limited Stony Brook to 40 points on Nov. 17.

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:
Iowa travels to rival Iowa State for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series contest on Dec. 12. Tip is set for 7 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes conclude the month with two home matchups against in-state foe Drake (Dec. 21) and North Dakota (Dec. 28), prior to starting league play in January.