Women's Hoops Set to Travel to Penn State

Feb. 5, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes: at Penn State

THE SETTING:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team (17-6, 5-4) travels to No. 9/10 Penn State (17-4, 8-1) on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (CT) at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.

CLIMBING TO THE TOP:
Lisa Bluder needs two 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 268-163 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.

WATCH LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK:
Thursday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Lee and Brenda VanLengen will call the action.

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 Radio Network (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.

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.

QUICK HITS:
? Lisa Bluder needs two wins to surpass Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer (269 wins) as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach. Bluder is one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins.
? Following an 0-2 start in Big Ten play, Iowa has won five-of-seven overall.
? The Hawkeyes enter this week’s action tied for fourth in the conference with Michigan and Purdue (5-4).
? Iowa and Penn State lead the Big Ten in overall victories (17). The two teams rank first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in scoring offense. Iowa averages 80 points a game, and Penn State averages 75.9.
? Junior guard Samantha Logic is the only player in the Big Ten to average 13+ points (14.1), six+ rebounds (6.5), and six+ assists (7.2).
? Logic is the only active player in the Big Ten with 500 or more rebounds (596) and assists (518). She has 938 career points.
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft has tallied double-digits in her first four career starts (24 at Ohio State, 15 vs. Indiana, 13 at Minnesota, 12 vs. Nebraska). Iowa is 3-1 when Disterhoft starts.
? Iowa is averaging 80 points and 18 assists per contest, leading the Big Ten in both categories. In addition, the Hawkeyes are 21st nationally in scoring offense and 15th in assists per game.
? Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 22 contests, including four in the loss last time out to Nebraska (Samantha Logic 22, Bethany Doolittle 16, Theairra Taylor 15, and Ally Disterhoft 12).
? Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures (Logic, Dixon, Doolittle, Disterhoft, and Taylor).
? Junior center Bethany Doolittle has tallied 77 blocks this season, the most for a junior in program history; 77 blocks in a single season is the second-highest total in program history.

BLUDER SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION:
Head coach Lisa Bluder has agreed to a one-year contract extension that secures her as head coach of the women’s basketball program at the University of Iowa through the 2019 basketball season, UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta announced Dec. 26, 2013.

IN THE RANKINGS:
The Hawkeyes have been ranked as high as No. 21/24 this season. Four Iowa opponents are ranked in the latest Associated Press/USA Today polls: Penn State (9/10), Nebraska (22/21), Michigan State (24/RV), Purdue (25/RV), Iowa State (23/RV). In addition, Syracuse and Michigan are receiving votes.

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.

SCOUTING PENN STATE:
? No. 9/10 Penn State is 17-4 overall and 8-1 in conference action. The Nittany Lions have won six-straight games.
? Penn State is 9-3 at home this season, with losses to Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Purdue.
? The Nittany Lions, the defending Big Ten champions, are the top rebounding team in the conference this season (46.3/game). Penn State also leads the league in field goal percentage defense (.351).
? Penn State is coached by Coquese Washington. In her seventh season at the helm of the program, she is 135-77 overall.
? Maggie Lucas, the 2012-13 Big Ten Player of the Year, leads Penn State and ranks second in the Big Ten in points per game (21.0).
? The Nittany Lions are projected to start four seniors and a junior. Three of the five starters are 6-foot-3 or taller.

IOWA-PENN STATE SERIES NOTES:
? Penn State leads the all-time series, 26-17.
? The Hawkeyes are 5-14 all-time at Penn State, having dropped the last three meetings. Iowa won the previous two meetings.
? In Iowa’s previous two wins, it rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit in 2009, and gave coach Bluder her 500th career win in 2008.

THE LAST MEETING:
Iowa dropped its Big Ten home opener to Penn State on Jan. 5, 87-71. The Hawkeyes trailed by one with 15:52 to play (44-43), and three points (61-58) with 9:15 remaining, before the Nittany Lions pulled away for the victory. Penn State utilized its size advantage to score 16 second-chance points and pull down 16 offensive rebounds. Iowa shot 40.6-percent from the field for the game, Penn State made 47.8 percent, including 51.5-percent over the final 20 minutes when the Hawkeyes made several runs. Junior guard Melissa Dixon scored a team-high 22 points and made 4-of-11 from 3-point range. Logic scored 13 points with 12 assists in 40 minutes.

THE LAST MEETING AT PENN STATE:
The two teams last met at Penn State on Jan. 22, 2012. Iowa led for most of the game, but a late second half run inside the Bryce Jordan Center gave the Nittany Lions a 68-52 win. With 6:31 left, sophomore Theairra Taylor hit a jumper from the free throw line to give the visitors a 50-48 lead. Iowa then went scoreless for nearly five minutes and endured a 15-0 Penn State run during that span. Bethany Doolittle finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting, and added two blocks.

FUN FACTS:
? The Hawkeyes are 4-3 in road games this season and 7-3 overall away from Iowa City. Iowa is 3-1 in Big Ten road games.
? Iowa has not trailed during three of its last four victories (Jan. 25 vs. Indiana, 84-75; Jan. 19 at Ohio State, 81-74; Jan. 12 at Wisconsin, 82-65). Iowa trailed for 1:56 during its 64-56 win at Minnesota on Jan. 29.
? Iowa, the Big Ten leader in assists/game (18.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2), is 16-1 when tallying as many or more assists than its opponents, and 12-2 when registering fewer turnovers.
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (8
0 points/game), averaging nearly four more points than the second-highest average. ? Iowa is 15-0 when leading at the half.
? The Hawkeyes are 15-0 when holding their opponents to less than 80 points.
? Iowa is undefeated (7-0) when shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range, and undefeated (8-0) when grabbing more rebounds.

LAST ROAD GAME — HAWKEYES COMPLETE SEASON SWEEP OF MINNESOTA:
Iowa won at Minnesota on Jan. 29, 64-56, completing the season sweep of the Gophers. Iowa has won six of the last seven meetings, and 10 of the last 13 in the series against Minnesota. The Hawkeyes handed Minnesota its third home loss of the season (10-3). Iowa limited Rachel Banham, the Big Ten’s leading scorer (22.8), to nine points, marking the second time this season she has been held below double digits. Samantha Logic was two rebounds from a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 10 assists, and eight boards. Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures (Ally Disterhoft 13, Samantha Logic 12, Melissa Dixon 11, Bethany Doolittle 10).

HAWKEYES IN BIG TEN PLAY:
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, the dean of Big Ten coaches, is a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2001, 2008 and 2010). She has guided Iowa to nine upper-division finishes in the Big Ten in 13 seasons. Iowa won a share of the Big Ten regular season championship in 2008 and finished in a three-way tie for second in 2009. The Hawkeyes clinched a share of the title in 2008 with a win at Wisconsin in the regular season finale (March 2, 2008).

LOGIC NAMED TO LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST:
Junior guard Samantha Logic has been named to the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Jan. 15. The award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. She is 1-of-2 league players named to the Watch List along with Northwestern’s Ashley Deary. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame became the new host of the Nancy Lieberman Award in October 2013 after the Rotary Club of Detroit managed it for several years. The Hall of Fame appointed a premier Selection Committee made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers to review the candidates. The list will be narrowed down to a final 20 in February, then final five by March. The Lieberman Award winner will be announced during Final Four weekend activities. Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include last year’s recipient Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Sue Bird (Connecticut), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut), Lindsey Harding (Duke), Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Kristi Toliver (Maryland), Ivory Latta (North Carolina), and Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State).

DEFYING LOGIC:
? Samantha Logic is the only player in the Big Ten to average 13+ points (14.1), six+ rebounds (6.5), and six+ assists (7.2).
? She leads the the Big Ten in assists (7.2/game), ranks 16th in scoring, 14th in rebounding, 13th in field goal percentage (.487), 14th in free throw percentage (.802), 14th in defensive reboun
ds (4.7) and second in steals (2.4) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) ? Logic is second in career assists (519) at Iowa. Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) is Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576).
? Logic is one of 26 players in Big Ten history to total 500 or more career assists.
? She has posted 166 assists this season, the highest total for a junior in progam history. Cara Consuegra posted the second-most as a junior (138 in 1999-00). ? Logic is 14th in the NCAA in career assists among active players, and fourth in assists/game (5.9).
? Logic is nearly averaging a triple-double over the last 11 contests (14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists).
? She has registered a triple-double and four double-doubles during the stretch.
? Last season, Logic led the Big Ten and ranked 15th in the NCAA with 6.4 assists per game. She has led the Big Ten in the category for most of this season, and is fourth nationally.
? Logic’s 12 career games with double digit assists are the most in program history. Cara Consuegra is second with nine games of 10 or more assists. The next closest Hawkeyes on the list are Kachine Alexander, Jolette Law and Michelle Edwards, with two career games.
? Logic — who has 19 career double-doubles — became Iowa’s single-season assist record holder a year ago, breaking the mark in Iowa’s win at Northwestern (March 3). Logic entered the game tied with Cara Consuegra (2000-01) at 191 assists. Logic collected seven assists at Northwestern and finished the season with 217.
? Logic recorded her 13th career double-double (16 points, 14 assists) on Nov. 10, leading the Hawkeyes to a 97-93 overtime victory against No. 14 Dayton. Logic hit the game-tying 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. The 14 assists equaled a personal best and Iowa school record, and are the most in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history. The previous high was 12 (three times).

BALANCED ATTACK:
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Bethany Doolittle (14.2), Samantha Logic (14.1), Melissa Dixon (13.4), Ally Disterhoft (12.7), and Theairra Taylor (11.1). Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 22 contests, including four in the loss to Nebraska (Samantha Logic 22, Bethany Doolittle 16, Theairra Taylor 15, Ally Disterhoft 12). Iowa is one of two Big Ten teams, joining Illinois, with three players averaging 13.4 or more points per game (Doolittle – 14.2, Logic – 14.1, Dixon – 13.4).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is second in career assists (519). Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) is Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576).
? Melissa Dixon is sixth in career 3-pointers (173). Dixon surpassed Kelli Krei (162) during Iowa’s win over Minnesota on Jan. 8. Kristi Smith is fifth with 185.
? Bethany Doolittle is third all-time with 155 career blocks. She surpassed Megan Skouby who is now fourth with 150, during Iowa’s game against Nebraska on Feb. 1. Tangela Smith is second with 235.

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,155 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 709-446 (.613). That includes a 353-182 (.660) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 345-100 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

B1G HONOR ROLL:
? In the first 13 weeks of the season, Iowa has had a player named Player of the Week, or to the Honor Roll, nine times. Samantha Logic, Melissa Dixon, and Theairra Taylor have garnered weekly conference honors this year.
? Logic was named Big Ten Player of Week on Nov. 12 for her efforts in Iowa’s wins against UC Riverside and No. 14 Dayton, and on Dec. 23 following her triple-double against Drake. She was also named Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 23.
? 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 Northern Iowa.
? 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.
? Dixon was honored again on Dec. 9, after helping Iowa to wins over No. 22 Syracuse and Idaho State, averaging 25.5 points per game, while converting 13-of-21 3-point attempts.
? Logic was named to the Honor Roll on Dec. 31. She finished with 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals while shooting 60 percent from the floor in a win over North Dakota.
? Logic was named to the Honor Roll on Jan. 13 after averaging 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 4.0 steals in wins against Minnesota (Jan. 8) and Wisconsin (Jan. 12).
? Taylor was honored Jan. 28 after equaling a season high with 20 points on 72.7 percent shooting, adding two rebounds and two steals in Iowa’s win over Indiana (Jan. 25).
? Logic was named to the Honor Roll on on Feb. 3 after playing every minute at Minnesota and against Nerbaska, averaging 17.0 points, 9.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Logic was two rebounds from her third career triple-double at Minnesota, finishing with 12 points, 10 assists, and eight boards for her 19th career double-double. Against Nebraska on Feb. 1, she sank a career high five 3-pointers.

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 (/iowawomenshoops) or the University of Iowa Athletics Facebook page. Fans can also follow @IowaWBB or @TheIowaHawkeyes on Twitter.

UP NEXT:
Iowa returns home to host Northwestern on Monday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. (CT) and Illinois on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (CT). Both contests will be televised live on BTN.