No. 25 Iowa Concludes Regular Season at Illinois

March 1, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes: at Illinois

THE SETTING:
The 25th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team (22-7, 10-5) concludes the regular season at Illinois (9-19, 2-13) on Sunday. Tip is set for 3 p.m. (CT) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

WATCH LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK:
Sunday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Lisa Byington and Stephanie White will call the action. The contest marks Iowa’s ninth on the Network this season. Iowa is 8-0 this year when playing on BTN.

AUDIO COVERAGE:
Brent Balbinot and Kristi Faulkner 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. Faulkner, a former Hawkeye, was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

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:
? The Hawkeyes have won 8-of-10, and 10-of-13 since starting 0-2 in league play. Iowa is 5-2 in Big Ten road games.
? Iowa’s 22 wins equal the second-highest total under UI head coach Lisa Bluder. The Hawkeyes won 23 games in 2004-05, and 22 in 2010-11. Iowa has won 20 or more games in six of the last seven seasons (the Hawkeyes won 19 in 2011-12).
? Junior Samantha Logic is the only player in the nation to average 13+ points (14.1), 6+ rebounds (6.6), and 7+ assists (7.6).
? Logic (572 career assists) needs five assists to surpass Cara Consuegra (1997-2001) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader (576), and seven to surpass Stephanie White (Purdue) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota) for ninth in league history (578).
? Logic, the Big Ten leader in assists, 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.
? Logic is the only active player in the Big Ten with 500 or more rebounds (639) and assists (572).
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft has scored in double figures in nine of her first 10 career starts. Iowa is 8-2 when Disterhoft starts. She made her irst career start in win at Ohio State (Jan. 19).
? Iowa is the only Big Ten team with five players averaging double figures (Logic, Dixon, Doolittle, Disterhoft, and Taylor).
? Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 28 contests, including three in the win over Ohio State (Taylor 21, Dixon 14, Doolittle 12).
? Iowa is averaging 78.7 points and 18.1 assists per contest, leading the Big Ten in both categories. The Hawkeyes are 25th nationally in scoring offense and 11th in assists per game.
? Junior center Bethany Doolittle has tallied 95 blocks this season, the most in a single season in program history.
? 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.

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. Iowa’s 22 wins equal the second-highest total under Bluder. The Hawkeyes won 23 games in 2004-05, and 22 in 2010-11.

BLUDER BECOMES IOWA’S ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH:
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 273-164 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.

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).

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.

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 fifth in the Big Ten with 10 double-doubles this season. She has notched the second-most in league play (seven). Logic has 21 career double-doubles, the second most among active Big Ten players (Jordan Hooper – 36).

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 137 career Big Ten victories (136-92), surpassing former Ohio State head coach Jim Foster (136) 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).

SCOUTING ILLINOIS:
? Illinois is 9-19 overall, and 2-13 in conference play.
? The Fighting Illini are 6-7 at home this season. Illinois has lost seven-straight home games (last home win came on Dec. 21).
? Illinois has dropped nine-straight games overall, following a home loss to Nebraska on Feb. 27 (72-65).
? Illinois is coached by Matt Bollant. Bollant is in his second year at the helm of the program.

IOWA-ILLINOIS SERIES NOTES:
? Iowa leads the all-time series, 50-17.
? The Hawkeyes have won 15 of the last 17 meetings against Illinois, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
? Iowa has won seven of the last eight meetings in Champaign.
? The Hawkeyes dropped a 74-62 decision in Champaign last season in the only meeting between the two teams, ending what was an eight-game Hawkeye winning-streak in the series.

THE LAST MEETING — IOWA DOWNS ILLINOIS FOR WIN NO. 20:
? Iowa defeated Illinois on Feb. 13 in Iowa City, 69-55, earning its 20th win of the season.
? Iowa earned its 50th win all-time against Illinois, and leads the all-time series 50-17.
? The Hawkeyes have won 15 of the last 17 meetings overall against Illinois, including five straight in Iowa City, and eight of the last nine.
? Iowa moved to 25-3 all-time against Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft notched her second career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds).
? Iowa was one point away from having all five starters score in double figures, as Samantha Logic finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while not recording a turnover.
? Bethany Doolittle finished 6-of-7 from the field, notching 16 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
? Sophomore center Nicole Smith saw her first action of the season, recording a rebound in two minutes. She missed the first 25 games of the season due to injury.
? Iowa…
o out-rebounded Illinois, 40-23, marking its largest positive rebound margin of the season
o out-scored Illinois in the paint, 36-10
o recorded 22 points off turnovers, limiting Illinois to seven
o tallied 12 fastbreak points, while Illinois tallied zero

TAYLOR LEADS IOWA TO VICTORY OVER OHIO STATE ON SENIOR NIGHT:
Iowa’s lone senior Theairra Taylor led the Hawkeyes to a 65-61 victory over Ohio State on Feb. 27 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Senior Night. Taylor posted a season-high and game-high 21 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. She scored 10 points in the final 11:41 (Iowa trailed by seven with 11:41 left), and tallied Iowa’s final four points to seal the win. Iowa swept the season series (two or more games) over Ohio State for the first time since 1997-98. The Hawkeyes won in Columbus on Jan. 19, 81-74.

#thanksTheairra:
The University of Iowa women’s basketball program honored senior Theairra Taylor following Iowa’s win over Ohio State on Feb. 27. 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. Taylor has started 71 career games and played in 104. 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 12 of the last 14 games, while scoring nine points twice. Join us in thanking Taylor by including #thanksTheairra in your social media posts.

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.

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).

LOGIC NAMED B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Junior guard Samantha Logic was named Big Ten Player of Week on Feb. 11. Logic (5-foot-9) — the Big Ten leader in assists — averaged a triple-double in Iowa’s two wins last week, averaging 17.0 points, 10.0 assists and 10.0 rebounds. In the Hawkeyes’ win at No. 9 Penn State on Feb. 6, Logic posted her second triple-double of the year, and the third of her career, with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. She has the most triple-doubles of any player in program history, and the most of any player in the Big Ten. Logic, who ranks fourth nationally in assists, finished one rebound shy of her second-straight triple-double in Iowa’s win over Northwestern on Feb. 10, registering her 21st career double-double (20 points, 10 assists). She finished 7-of-7 from the foul line, as Bluder won her 270th career game at Iowa, surpassing C. Vivian Stringer as the all-time winningest coach in program history. The award marks Logic’s fifth career Player of the Week honor, and third this season (Nov. 12, Dec. 23). Logic has been named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll four additional times this season.

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 10 games (the first starts of her career), and Iowa is 8-2 (4-1 on the road). She is second on the team in scoring during the stretch, averaging 14.3 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 20-1 when tallying as many or more assists than its opponents, and 16-3 when registering fewer turnovers.
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (78.7 points/game), averaging three more points than the second-highest average.
? Iowa is 19-1 when leading at the half.
? The Hawkeyes are 19-1 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 (14.1), Bethany Doolittle (13.9), Melissa Dixon (13.3), Ally Disterhoft (12.8), and Theairra Taylor (11.9). Iowa is the only Big Ten team with five players averaging double figures. Iowa has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last 28 contests, including three in the win over Ohio State (Taylor 21, Dixon 14, Doolittle 12). The only game this season in which Iowa has not had three or more in double figures came in the season-opening win over UC Riverside (70-65) on Nov. 8. Samantha Logic scored 28 points, and four other Hawkeyes scored seven or more points. Iowa is 1-of-2 Big Ten teams, joining Illinois, with three players averaging 13.3 or more points per game (Logic – 14.1, Doolittle – 13.9, Dixon – 13.3).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic is second in career assists (572). 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 (192). 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 173 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 (14.1), 6+ rebounds (6.6), and 7+ assists (7.6).
? 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 (7.6/game), ranks 14th in scoring (14.1), 14th in rebounding (6.6), 12th in field goal percentage (.488), 13th in free throw percentage (.823), 13th in defensive rebounds (4.8), seventh in minutes played (35.3) and second in steals (2.4) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.0); leads the league in assists in league games only (8.2), and steals (3.0).
? Logic is second in career assists (572) 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 219 assists this season, the highest single-season total in program history. Logic set the previous record last season (217).
? Logic is 11th in the NCAA in career assists among active players, and third in career assists/game (6.1).
? 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 16 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 1,161 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 714-447 (.613). That includes a 358-183 (.660) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 348-100 (.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 will travel to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., next week.