Hawkeyes, Wildcats to Meet Monday on BTN

Feb. 9, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes: Northwestern

THE SETTING:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team (18-6, 6-4) returns home to host Northwestern (14-9, 4-6) on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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.

ELITE COMPANY:
Lisa Bluder is tied with C. Vivian Stringer and former men’s coach Tom Davis as the all-time winningest head basketball coach at the University of Iowa (269 wins). Bluder — one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins — is 269-163 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.

WATCH LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK:
Monday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Brenda VanLengen and Mary Murphy 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.

PROMOTIONS:
? Four Pack Night – Purchase 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 drinks for only $30
? UI Student Night – FREE food and drinks for UI students before the game, UI students can register to win a $100 Visa gift card

QUICK HITS:
? Lisa Bluder is tied with C. Vivian Stringer and former men’s coach Tom Davis as the all-time winningest head basketball coach at the University of Iowa (269 wins). Bluder — one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins — is 269-163 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach.
? Iowa won at No. 9 Penn State last time out (Feb. 6), earning its first victory over a top-10 foe since 2011, its first win over a top-10 team away from Iowa City since the 2001 Big Ten Tournament title game, and its first true road win over a top-10 team since winning at No. 9 Southern California, 50-49, on Dec. 30,1993.
? Following an 0-2 start in Big Ten play, Iowa has won six-of-eight overall. Iowa plays three games in the next seven days.
? Iowa and Penn State lead the Big Ten in overall victories (18).
? Junior guard Samantha Logic is the only player in the Big Ten to average 13+ points (14.1), six+ rebounds (6.7), and six+ assists (7.3).
? Logic is the only active player in the Big Ten with 500 or more rebounds (607) and assists (529). She has 952 career points.
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft has tallied double-digits in her first five career starts (24 at Ohio State, 15 vs. Indiana, 13 at Minnesota, 12 vs. Nebraska, 24 at Penn State). Iowa is 4-1 when Disterhoft starts. She leads Iowa in scoring during the stretch, averaging 17.6 points per contest.
? Iowa is averaging 80 points and 18 assists per contest, leading the Big Ten in both categories. In addition, the Hawkeyes are 24th 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 23 contests, including four in the win at Penn State (Ally Disterhoft 24, Samantha Logic 14, Melissa Dixon 13, and Theairra Taylor 10).
? Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures (Logic, Dixon, Doolittle, Disterhoft, and Taylor).
? Junior center Bethany Doolittle has tallied 81 blocks this season, the most in a single season 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.

HAWKEYES AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA:
Iowa is 10-3 at home this season, and 85-22 in its last 107 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 345-100 (.776) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has three regular season home games left (Northwestern – Feb. 10; Illinois – Feb. 13; Ohio State – Feb. 27).

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN:
? Northwestern is 14-9 overall, and 4-6 in conference play.
? The Wildcats are 2-4 on the road this season, with a 1-3 road mark in conference games. Northwestern won its last road game, winning at Indiana on Jan. 30, 58-52.
? Northwestern fell to Michigan last time out on Feb. 6, 70-68.
? Northwestern is coached by Joe McKeown. McKeown is in his sixth year at the helm of the program.

IOWA-NORTHWESTERN SERIES NOTES:
? Iowa leads the all-time series, 48-14.
? The Hawkeyes have won 21 of the last 23 meetings against the Wildcats.
? Iowa is 22-4 all-time against Northwestern at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? The Hawkeyes dropped a 67-65 decision at home last year to Northwestern, falling in the final seconds. The loss ended a 13-game home winning streak for Iowa in the series.
? Iowa won at Northwestern last season, 62-45, and defeated the Wildcats in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., 60-55.

THE LAST MEETING:
Seniors Morgan Johnson and Jaime Printy scored 18 points each as Iowa advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 7, 2013, with a 60-55 win against Northwestern in Sears Centre Arena. The Hawkeyes never trailed in the contest, leading by as much as 15 points with 3:34 to go. Samantha Logic finished with 11 rebounds, six assists and six points.

THE LAST MEETING IN IOWA CITY:
Northwestern sophomore Karly Roser’s layup as time expired handed the No. 24/25 University of Iowa women’s basketball team a 67-65 setback on Feb. 3, 2013, in the last meeting at Carver-Hawkeye Arena between the two squads. Melissa Dixon finished with 21 points off the bench, converting 7-of-10 field goals and 6-of-9 3-pointers. Samantha Logic posted a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds).

A B1G-TIME ROAD WIN — IOWA WINS AT NO. 9 PENN STATE:
? The Hawkeyes won at No. 9 Penn State last time out on Feb. 6, 73-70, giving UI head coach Lisa Bluder her 269th career win at Iowa, tying her with C. Vivian Stringer as the all-time winningest coach in program history.
? The win marked Iowa’s first victory over a top-10 foe since defeating No. 10 Michigan State, 66-64, on Jan. 27, 2011.
? The victory marked the Hawkeyes’ first over a top-10 team away from Iowa City since defeating No. 7 Purdue, 75-70, in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament title game (March 4, 2001), and Iowa’s first in a true road game since winning at No. 9 Southern California, 50-49, on Dec. 30, 1993.
? The wins marked Iowa’s first road victory over a ranked opponent since winning at No. 18 Purdue last year, 72-52 (Feb. 14, 2013).
? The victory marked the first for Iowa at Penn State since 2009.
? The Hawkeyes have won four-straight Big Ten road games.
? Samantha Logic finished with her second triple-double of the season, and third of her career (14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). The Big Ten assists leader has the most triple-doubles of any player in program history.
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft equaled a career high with 24 points, missing only one shot (8-of-9 field goals, 3-of-3 3-pointers, 5-of-5 free throws).
? Disterhoft has started the last five games (the first starts of her career), and Iowa is 4-1 (3-0 on the road). She leads Iowa in scoring during the stretch, averaging 17.6 points per contest.
? Melissa Dixon (13 points) and Theairra Taylor (10 points) also finished in double figures.
? Iowa and Penn State both finished with 30 points in the paint. The Nittany Lions opened the game with a 12-0 advantage.
? The Hawkeyes led 63-58 with 8:16 to play, before Penn State went on a 10-0 run to grab a 68-63 lead with 4:26 remaining. Iowa answered, as Theairra Taylor converted a layup and Ally Disterhoft nailed a 3-pointer to even the score at 68 with 3:32 to play.
? Iowa ended the game on a 10-2 run over the final 4:26.

FUN FACTS:
? Iowa, the Big Ten leader in assists/game (18.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3), is 17-1 when tallying as many or more assists than its opponents, and 13-2 when registering fewer turnovers.
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (79.7 points/game), averaging nearly four more points than the second-highest average.
? Iowa is 15-0 when leading at the half.
? The Hawkeyes are 16-0 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.
? The Hawkeyes are 5-3 in road games this season and 8-3 overall away from Iowa City. Iowa is 4-1 in Big Ten road games.
? Iowa has not trailed during three of its last five 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.

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 (6.7), and six+ assists (7.3).
? She leads the Big Ten in assists (7.3/game), and ranks 15th in scoring, 14th in rebounding, 13th in field goal percentage (.487) and free throw percentage (.809), 11th in defensive rebounds (5.0), ninth in minutes played (34.4) and second in steals (2.4) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.9). She also leads the league in assists in league games only (8.0), and steals (3.1).
? Logic is second in career assists (529) 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 176 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 12 contests (14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists).
? She has registered two triple-doubles and four double-doubles during the stretch.
? Logic has three career triple-doubles, the most in program history. For all active Big Ten players, there have been a total of four, with three by Logic.
? 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 13 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 20 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).

DISTERHOFT SHINES IN FIRST CAREER START(S):
Freshman Ally Disterhoft posted a double-double in her first career start at Ohio State on Jan. 19 (24 points, 10 rebounds, 12-of-12 from the line). She finished 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 28 seconds. Her 12-for-12 mark from the line marks the third-best total (when shooting 100%) in the league this season, and the best performance from the line in conference only action. It also tied the program record for most free throws made (when making 100%) during a Big Ten game. Disterhoft has started the last five games (the first starts of her career), and Iowa is 4-1 (3-0 on the road). She leads Iowa in scoring during the stretch, averaging 17.6 points per contest.

BALANCED ATTACK:
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Samantha Logic (14.1), Bethany Doolittle (14.0), Melissa Dixon (13.4), Ally Disterhoft (13.2), and Theairra Taylor (11.0). Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 23 contests, including four in the win at Penn State (Ally Disterhoft 24, Samantha Logic 14, Melissa Dixon 13, and Theairra Taylor 10). Iowa is one of two Big Ten teams, joining Illinois, with three players averaging 13.4 or more points per game (Logic – 14.1, Doolittle – 14.0, Dixon – 13.4).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is second in career assists (529). Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) is Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576).
? Melissa Dixon is sixth in career 3-pointers (176). 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 159 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.

HAWKEYES CONTINUE TREND AGAINST RANKED FOES:
? Iowa is 3-4 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
– L at No. 11 Iowa State (83-70) – Dec. 12
– L vs. No. 15 Penn State (87-71) – Jan. 5
– L vs. No. 23 Nebraska (80-67) – Feb. 1
– W at No. 9 Penn State (73-70) – Feb. 6
? The Hawkeyes have defeated 10 top-25 opponents since the start of last season (10-8 record).
? 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 marked the seventh time in school history that Iowa played at least three ranked teams prior to conference action. Iowa faced five ranked opponents in 1990 (2-3 record) and three in 2012 (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).

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 hosts Illinois on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (CT). The contest will be televised live on BTN.