Women's Hoops Hosts Ohio State on Senior Night

Feb. 26, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes: Ohio State

THE SETTING:
The 25th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team (21-7, 9-5) hosts Ohio State (15-15, 5-9) on Thursday in its regular season home finale. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will honor senior Theairra Taylor following the contest for Senior Night.

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 20-WIN PLATEAU:
Iowa defeated Illinois inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 13 (69-55), earning its 20th win of the season and becoming the first Big Ten team to reach the mark. The Hawkeyes have won 20 games or more in a season eight times under Lisa Bluder, including six of the last seven seasons (Iowa finished 19-12 in 2011-12). Dating back to the 1984-85 season, Iowa has reached the 20-win mark 18 times. Iowa won its 20th game this season in its 26th contest, marking the fastest year to 20 wins under Bluder, and fastest since the 1995-96 season. That year, the Hawkeyes won their 20th in their 21st game under head coach Angie Lee. Iowa started 20-1 and finished 27-4 while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

NO. 270 — BLUDER NOTCHES ANOTHER MILESTONE VICTORY:
Lisa Bluder surpassed C. Vivian Stringer as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach on Feb. 10 as the Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern, 90-84. Bluder — one of 13 active Division I coaches with 600 or more wins — is 272-164 all-time as the Hawkeye head coach. Bluder scored the first points in a women’s game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as a student-athlete at Northern Iowa.

WATCH LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK:
Thursday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler and LaChina Robinson 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 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.

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 are ranked 25th in the AP Top 25 poll, and have been ranked as high as No. 21/24 this season. Five Iowa opponents are ranked in the latest Associated Press/USA Today polls: Penn State (8/11), Nebraska (16/17), Purdue (19/21), Michigan State (21/RV), and Iowa State (RV/23).

#thanksTheairra:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball program will honor senior Theairra Taylor following tonight’s game. Taylor, Iowa’s lone senior, is a native of St. Paul, Minn. She suffered her third ACL injury in a 20-month span during preseason workouts in 2010, and missed a total of 53 games with ACL injuries from 2009 through 2011. Entering Thursday night’s contest Taylor has started 70 career games and played in 103. She has started every game since the start of last season, and was named Iowa’s Most Improved Player last year. Taylor, a 2013-14 team co-captain, has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 games, while scoring nine points twice. In league play, she ranks 24th in scoring (12.8), ninth in steals (1.6), 12th in assists (2.9) and 13th in field goal percentage (.489). Join us in thanking Taylor by including #thanksTheairra in your social media posts.

DAILY DOUBLE:
Four Hawkeyes have combined to register 14 double-doubles this season: Samantha Logic (10), Ally Disterhoft (two), Kali Peschel (one), and Bethany Doolittle (one). Logic is third in the Big Ten with 10 double-doubles this season, trailing Amanda Zahui of Minnesota (12) and Emily Cady of Nebraska (11). Logic is tied with Cady for the most during league play (seven). Logic has 22 career double-doubles, the second most among active Big Ten players (Jordan Hooper – 35).

MOST TRIPLE-DOUBLES IN A SINGLE SEASON:
Junior Samantha Logic has notched three triple-doubles this season, becoming the first Big Ten player to record three triple-doubles in a single season. The point guard is second nationally; Alyssa Thomas of Maryland has four this season. Entering the 2013-14 campaign, there had only been 11 seasons in NCAA history in which a player registered three or more triple-doubles. Nicole Powell of Stanford tallied five in 2002, Tasha Pointer of Rutgers notched four in 2001, and nine other players registered three. Logic has four career triple-doubles, the second most in Big Ten history, and the most while competing in the Big Ten. The total equals the seventh-highest total in NCAA history (Suzie McConnell, Penn State 7; Louella Tomlinson, St. Mary’s (CA) 7; Nicole Powell, Stanford 6; Joskeen Garner, Northwestern St. 5; Brittney Griner, Baylor 5; Shalee Lehning, Kansas State 5).

LOGIC BECOMES IOWA’S 31ST 1,000-POINT SCORER:
Junior guard Samantha Logic notched a game-high 19 points in Iowa’s win at Michigan on Feb. 22, becoming the 31st 1,000-point scorer in program history.

MOST B1G VICTORIES:
Head coach Lisa Bluder has 136 career Big Ten victories (136-92), equaling former Ohio State head coach Jim Foster for the fourth-most in league history. Rene Portland of Penn State has the most in conference history (176). Former Hawkeye head coach C. Vivian Stringer is second with 169 wins, and Karen Langeland of Michigan State has the third most (156).

HAWKEYES AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA:
Iowa is 12-3 at home this season, and 87-22 in its last 109 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 347-100 (.776) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA EARNS WIN NO. 21 AT MICHIGAN:
Iowa trailed Michigan 13-0 in the early going of its last game on Feb. 22 in Ann Arbor, before answering with a 47-18 run to grab a 47-31 lead with 17 minutes to play. Michigan countered and rallied to grab a 62-58 lead with 6:49 left. With 4:09 to play, Iowa trailed 66-63 and finished on an 11-4 run to defeat Michigan at the Crisler Center, 74-70. Iowa trailed 68-67 with 1:51 remaining. The Hawkeyes scored their final seven points from the free throw line, finishing 7-of-8 from the stripe (Theairra Taylor, 4-of-4; Ally Disterhoft, 2-of-2; Samantha Logic, 1-of-2). Iowa finished 10-of-20 from 3-point range, as five Hawkeyes (Disterhoft, Taylor, Logic, Kastanek, Dixon) made at least one 3-pointer.

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 OHIO STATE:
? Ohio State is 15-15 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
? The Buckeyes are 3-7 on the road this season.
? Ohio State ended a five-game losing streak on Feb. 23, defeating Northwestern at home 71-62.
? Ameryst Alston, who leads the Buckeyes in scoring (18.5/game), notched 30 points in the victory.
? Ohio State is coached by Kevin McGuff. He is in his first season at the helm of the program. McGuff completed his 11th year as a head coach in 2013, with the last two at the University of Washington and the previous nine at Xavier University. He has compiled an overall record of 267-107 and has reached the postseason each year.

IOWA-OHIO STATE SERIES NOTES:
? The Buckeyes lead the all-time series, 30-28.
? Iowa is 18-8 all-time against the Buckeyes inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won the last three in Iowa City.
? Iowa and Ohio State have met once during the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes topped the Hawkeyes, 73-72, in overtime at the 1993 NCAA Final Four.

THE LAST MEETING:
The Hawkeyes defeated Ohio State, 81-74, on Feb. 27 in Columbus in the first meeting between the two league foes this season. Iowa never trailed on its way to its first win in Columbus since 1998. Five players (Disterhoft 24, Dixon 16, Doolittle 14, Taylor 11, Kastanek 10) scored in double figures. Iowa finished 17-of-19 (89.5%) from the foul line and 8-of-17 from 3-point-range (47.1%), while out-rebounding the Buckeyes (32-31). Four Hawkeyes (Disterhoft, Dixon, Taylor, Kastanek) tallied two 3-point field goals.

THE LAST MEETING IN IOWA CITY:
Iowa defeated Ohio State in the only meeting between the two teams last season, winning 77-71 in overtime inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 3, 2013. Four Hawkeyes (Theairra Taylor 19, Samantha Logic 17, Morgan Johnson 16, Jaime Printy 14) scored in double figures to lead Iowa past No. 24 Ohio State in last season’s Big Ten opener.

LOGIC NAMED TO LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST:
Iowa junior point guard Samantha Logic has been named 1-of-22 watch list finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Feb. 24. 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 five by March and the 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).

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 nine games (the first starts of her career), and Iowa is 7-2 (4-1 on the road). She leads Iowa in scoring during the stretch, averaging 15.1 points per contest.

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). Since the 2008 season, Iowa has finished first once, second twice, third twice and seventh once.

FUN FACTS:
? Iowa, the Big Ten leader in assists/game (18.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3), is 19-1 when tallying as many or more assists than its opponents, and 15-3 when registering fewer turnovers.
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (79.2 points/game), averaging four more points than the second-highest average.
? Iowa is 18-1 when leading at the half.
? The Hawkeyes are 18-1 when holding their opponents to less than 80 points. ? Iowa is 8-1 when shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range, 10-1 when grabbing more rebounds, and 9-1 when shooting 80 percent or better from the free throw line.
? The Hawkeyes are 6-4 in road games this season and 9-4 overall away from Iowa City. Iowa is 5-2 in Big Ten road games.

BALANCED ATTACK:
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Samantha Logic (14.5), Bethany Doolittle (14.0), Melissa Dixon (13.3), Ally Disterhoft (13.0), and Theairra Taylor (11.6). Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 27 contests, including five in the win at Michigan (Logic 19, Disterhoft 14, Taylor 13, Doolittle 12, Dixon 11). Iowa is 1-of-2 Big Ten teams, joining Illinois, with three players averaging 13.4 or more points per game (Logic – 14.5, Doolittle – 14.0, Dixon – 13.3).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is second in career assists (562). Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) is Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576).
? Melissa Dixon is fifth in 3-pointers on Iowa’s all-time list (190). She surpassed Kristi Smith during Iowa’s game at Purdue on Feb. 16. Wendy Ausdemore is fourth all-time with 221.
? Bethany Doolittle is third all-time with 171 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.

DEFYING LOGIC:
? Samantha Logic is the only player in the nation to average 13+ points (14.5), 6+ rebounds (6.7), and 7+ assists (7.5).
? Logic is averaging 17.6 points, 9.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals in eight games against ranked opponents.
? She leads the Big Ten in assists (7.5/game), ranks 14th in scoring (14.5), 14th in rebounding (6.7), ninth in field goal percentage (.497), 13th in free throw percentage (.823), 13th in defensive rebounds (4.9), eighth in minutes played (35.1) and second in steals (2.4) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.0); leads the league in assists in league games only (8.1), and steals (2.9).
? Logic is second in career assists (562) 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 209 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). The single-season record in program history is 217, set by Logic last season.
? Logic is 12th in the NCAA in career assists among active players, and third in career assists/game (6.0).
? Logic has four career triple-doubles, the most in program history. For all active Big Ten players, there have been a total of five, with four by Logic.
? Logic has notched three triple-doubles this season, becoming the first Big Ten player to record three in a single season.
? Last season, Logic led the Big Ten and ranked 15th in the NCAA with 6.4 assists per game. She leads the Big Ten and is third nationally in assists this season.
? Logic’s 15 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 22 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).

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,160 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 713-447 (.613). That includes a 357-183 (.660) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 347-100 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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:
The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season on Sunday at Illinois. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT). The contest will be broadcast live on BTN.