Iowa, Drake Set for Saturday Showdown

Dec. 18, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes — Drake

THE SETTING:
The 22nd-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Drake (5-4) on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes — 6-0 at home this season — have won 6-of-7 overall. Iowa, 10-2 overall, is one of 12 teams nationally with double-digit wins, and is tied for the second-highest win total in the country this season.

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.

The first 1,000 fans in attendance at Saturday’s game will receive an Iowa stocking.

TELEVISION:
Saturday’s game can be seen locally in the state of Iowa on Mediacom Connections (MC22) and online via video.BTN.com (Big Ten Digital Network). Rob Brooks and Shelley Till will call the action.

AUDIO COVERAGE:
Brent Balbinot and former Hawkeye Kristi Faulkner 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.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
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.

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,144 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 702-442 (.613). That includes a 348-178 (.662) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 341-97 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA-DRAKE SERIES NOTES:
? Drake leads the all-time series, 24-21. Iowa has won the last 11 games in the series, including the last five in Iowa City.
? Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder coached 10 successful seasons (1990-2000) at Drake before joining the Hawkeyes, compiling 187 wins.
? Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen and assistant coach Jenni Fitzgerald both played and coached at Drake. Jensen is one of only two Drake women’s basketball players to have her uniform retired. Both Jensen and Fitzgerald received the Drake Double D Award, which is the highest honor Drake bestows on its student-athletes.
? Drake head coach Jennie (Lillis) Baranczyk was a four-year letterwinner at Iowa, graduating in 2004. She was an honorable mention All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten selection. She still ranks fifth in career scoring (1,762), fifth in blocks (114), seventh in rebounds (827), eighth in steals (190) and 14th in assists (297).
? Shelley Till, mother of Hawkeye sophomore Claire Till, and Missy Disterhoft, mother of Hawkeye freshman Ally Disterhoft, played basketball at Drake and were teammates with current Iowa assistants Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald.

SCOUTING DRAKE:
The Drake Bulldogs are 5-4 overall, with wins over Creighton, South Dakota, Coastal Carolina, Idaho State and SIU Edwardsville. In their most recent game, the Bulldogs topped SIU Edwardsville, 87-71. Kyndal Clark led all scorers with 35 points, and Lizzy Wendell (22 points) and Ashley Bartow (10 points) also finished in double figures. The trio leads the Bulldogs in scoring this season. Clark is averaging 17 points per game, while Wendell is averaging 12.8. Bartow is Drake’s third-leading scorer at 8.7 points per contest. As a team, Drake is averaging 68.9 points per game and shooting 41 percent (215-of-525) from the field, including 36.6 (78-of-213) from 3-point range.

THE LAST MEETING:
The Hawkeyes defeated Drake in Des Moines last season, 82-65. UI senior center Morgan Johnson led all players with 26 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Samantha Logic added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds; Trisha Nesbitt came off the bench to contribute 12 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The Hawkeyes received 20 assists from three players: Logic, Jaime Printy (seven) and Theairra Taylor (six).

IN THE RANKINGS:
Iowa is ranked 22nd in The Associated Press Top 25 poll this week, and sits 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Six Iowa opponents are also ranked in the Associated Press/USA Today polls: Colorado (11/14), Iowa State (15/11), Penn State (17/18), Purdue (18/21), Nebraska (19/17), and Syracuse (23/RV), In addition, Dayton and Indiana are receiving votes.

IOWA SETS NEW SINGLE-GAME 3-POINT RECORD:
The Hawkeyes won their sixth game in a row, thanks to a school-record 17 made 3-point field goals, 95-47, on Dec. 7 against Idaho State inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa shot 56.4-percent from the field for the game and held the Bengals to 21.5-percent (11.8-percent in the second half). While the Hawkeyes made 75-percent of their two-point field goals (14-of-21), the real story was their success from long range. Junior Melissa Dixon converted six 3-pointers, giving her 20 in the last three games. She had a school-record seven against UNC-Wilmington and Syracuse. Senior Theairra Taylor made four 3-pointers against Idaho State, freshman Ally Disterhoft had three, sophomore Kathryn Reynolds added two, and junior Samantha Logic and freshman Alexa Kastanek made one apiece. The previous record was 14, last accomplished on Dec. 22, 2011, against Mississippi Valley State.

DIXON CATCHING FIRE:
? Junior guard Melissa Dixon finished with six 3-point field goals in Iowa’s last home game against Idaho State – one shy of her personal record and the school record (seven – accomplished five times, twice by Dixon).
? After converting seven 3-pointers total during the first six games of the season (7-of-46), Dixon has made 31 over the last six games (31-of-59).
? Prior to the Cancun Challenge, Dixon was averaging 9.7 points per game. She is now Iowa’s leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points per outing.
? Dixon has 151 career 3-pointers, and needs six to surpass Leah Magner for seventh (156) on Iowa’s all-time list.

BALANCED ATTACK:
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Melissa Dixon (15.6), Bethany Doolittle (14.2), Samantha Logic (13.8), Ally Disterhoft (11.4), and Theairra Taylor (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 10 contests.

CLIMBING TO THE TOP:
Lisa Bluder needs nine wins to surpass Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer (269) as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach. Bluder — one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins — is 261-159 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is tied for second in career assists (431) with Michelle Edwards. Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) is Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576).
? Melissa Dixon has 151 career 3-pointers, and needs six to surpass Leah Magner for seventh (156) on Iowa’s all-time list.
? Bethany Doolittle is sixth all-time with 110 career blocks. She needs five blocks to surpass Jennie Lillis (114) for fifth place.

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. Reynolds was one-of-five Big Ten players nominated.

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.

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 conclude the month in Iowa City against North Dakota on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. (CT), prior to starting Big Ten play in January. Iowa opens conference play Jan. 2 at Indiana. Tip is set for 6 p.m. (CT).