Hawkeyes Face Purdue in B1G Quarterfinals

March 6, 2014

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Iowa WBB Game Notes: B1G Quarterfinals

THE SETTING:
The 23rd-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team (24-7, 11-5) faces No. 16 Purdue (21-7, 11-5) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday. Tip-off for the second game of the day inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse is set for approximately 1:30 p.m. (CT). Iowa, the No. 5 seed, defeated No. 12 seed Illinois on Thursday in the opening round, 81-62. The winner of Iowa and Purdue (No. 4 seed) advances to Saturday’s semifinals to play the winner of Penn State/Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. (CT).

WATCH LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK:
Friday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler, Stephanie White and Lisa Byington will call the action. The contest marks Iowa’s 11th on the Network this season. Iowa is 10-0 this year when playing on BTN. The Big Ten Network will televise each game on the first three days of the tournament. ESPN will televise Sunday’s championship game.

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 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. 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.

LOGIC, DOOLITTLE, DISTERHOFT EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS:
Three University of Iowa women’s basketball players — Samantha Logic, Bethany Doolittle, and Ally Disterhoft — received All-Big Ten recognition. Logic was a unanimous first team selection by the coaches, and a first team selection by the media. Doolittle garnered second team honors from both the coaches and media, and was named to the All-Defensive team. Disterhoft was one of five league rookies named to the All-Freshman team, while also garnering honorable mention all-league accolades. Senior Theairra Taylor earned Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award nomination. Logic becomes the 18th Iowa player to garner first-team All-Big Ten honors, marking the most of any Big Ten program. Kachine Alexander was the last Hawkeye to earn first team honors (2010, 2011).

MOST WINS SINCE 1995-96:
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 24 wins mark the highest total under UI head coach Lisa Bluder, and the highest since Iowa finished 27-4 in 1995-96.

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.

IOWA DEFEATS ILLINOIS IN FIRST ROUND:
? Iowa defeated Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 5, 81-62.
? Junior point guard Samantha Logic surpassed Stephanie White (Purdue) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota) — 578 career assists — for the ninth-most assists in league history.
? Junior center Bethany Doolittle finished with a career-best 26 points. Iowa’s record for most points in a Big Ten Tournament game is 28 by Tangela Smith (1998 vs. Ohio State).
? Freshman Ally Disterhoft posted her third double-double of the season (14 points and 12 rebounds).
? The Hawkeyes have won four straight, 10-of-12, and 12-of-15 since starting 0-2 in league play.
? Iowa is 11-4 away from Iowa City this season: 7-4 in true road games, and 4-0 in neutral site contests.
? The Hawkeyes move to 6-2 in first round games of the Big Ten Tournament.
? Iowa is 4-0 all-time against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament.
? This season marks the third time that Iowa has had a rematch in the Big Ten Tournament against its opponent in the regular season finale, and the second time it has happened against Illinois. In 1996, Iowa defeated Illinois (73-55) to close the regular season and knocked off the Fighting Illini (74-56) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Last season, Iowa finished the regular season with a win over Northwestern (62-45), and opened the Big Ten Tournament with a win over the Wildcats in the first round (60-55).
? Iowa earned its 52nd win all-time against Illinois, and leads the all-time series 52-17.
? The Hawkeyes have won 17 of the last 19 meetings overall against Illinois.
? Iowa swept all three meetings this season against Illinois.

B1G TOURNAMENT NOTES:
? Iowa had advanced to the quarterfinals in seven-straight Big Ten Tournaments.
? The Hawkeyes defeated Purdue in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament title game.
? Iowa is 18-17 overall in the Big Ten Tournament, which includes championships in 1997 and 2001 (Lisa Bluder’s first season).
? Iowa is one of four league schools (Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State) with two or more tournament titles. Purdue, Ohio State, and Penn State are the only schools with more wins in tournament history.
? The Hawkeyes are 6-2 in first round games of the Big Ten Tournament.
? Iowa has been the No. 5 seed once in tournament history, falling to Michigan State in the quarterfinals in 2006.
? Coach Bluder holds a 12-12 record in Big Ten Tournament games; only four league coaches have won more tournament games in the history of the tournament.
? No. 5 seeds have a combined record of 18-16 in the Big Ten Tournament. Three No. 5 seeds have won the tournament, the last coming in 2011 (Ohio State).
? Iowa (No. 9 seed) defeated Minnesota (No. 8 seed), 57-44, in the first ever Big Ten Tournament game in 1995.

ROAD WARRIORS:
The Hawkeyes finished 6-2 in Big Ten road games this season, with both losses coming by a combined three points. Iowa dropped its league opener at then-undefeated Indiana (86-84) on Jan. 2, and fell at No. 23 Purdue on Feb. 16, 74-73. Overall, Iowa is 11-4 away from Iowa City this season: 7-4 in true road games, and 4-0 in neutral site contests. The Hawkeyes’ two nonconference road losses came against top-25 teams (No. 16 Colorado, No. 11 Iowa State).

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).

A NEW ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER:
Junior Samantha Logic (583 career assists) surpassed Cara Consuegra (1997-2001; 576) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader during the team’s win at Illinois on March 2 in the regular season finale. She finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Logic surpassed Stephanie White (Purdue) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota) for ninth in league history (578) during Iowa’s opening round win over Illinois. Ohio State’s Samantha Parahalis is first in league history with 901 career assists. Logic has 230 assists this season, setting a new school record. She topped her own mark of 217 set last season.

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.

DAILY DOUBLE:
Four Hawkeyes have combined to register 15 double-doubles this season: Samantha Logic (10), Ally Disterhoft (three), 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).

SCOUTING PURDUE:
? Purdue, ranked 17th/16th in the national polls, is 21-7 overall and finished tied for forth in the Big Ten with Iowa (11-5).
? The Boilermakers have won the last two Big Ten Tournament titles.
? Purdue has won six straight entering the tournament.
? Purdue is coached by Sharon Versyp. Versyp, a former Boilermaker, is in her eighth year at the helm of the program.

IOWA-PURDUE SERIES NOTES:
? Purdue leads the all-time series, 36-28.
? The Hawkeyes have won three of the last four meetings against the Boilermakers. Iowa swept the season series last season.
? Iowa defeated No. 11 Purdue at home, 62-46, on Jan. 20, 2013, giving head coach Lisa Bluder her 600th career win.
? The Hawkeyes won at No. 18 Purdue on Feb. 17, 2013, 72-52, earning their first victory in West Lafayette in more than 15 years.

LAST MEETING — HAWKEYES DROP A HEARTBREAKER AT PURDUE:
Iowa was in control for most of the game at No. 23 Purdue on Feb. 16, but dropped a 74-73 decision in the final seconds inside Mackey Arena. The Hawkeyes led 44-28 at halftime, and the Boilermakers took their first lead with 1:57 left in the contest. Samantha Logic notched her third triple-double of the season, and fourth of her career, compiling 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Senior Theairra Taylor posted a team-high 18 points, while Bethany Doolittle (15 points) and Ally Disterhoft (10 points) also scored in double figures.

IN THE RANKINGS:
The Hawkeyes are ranked 23rd 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 (11/12), Nebraska (16/13), Purdue (17/29), Michigan State (19/RV), and Iowa State (RV/24). In addition, Syracuse and Dayton are receiving votes.

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 275-164 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.

MOST B1G VICTORIES:
Head coach Lisa Bluder has 138 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).

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 10 upper-division finishes in the Big Ten in 14 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, fourth once, and seventh once.

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 12 games (the first starts of her career), and Iowa is 10-2 (5-1 on the road). She is second on the team in scoring during the stretch, averaging 14.3 points per contest, and has scored in double figures 10 times.

FUN FACTS:
? Iowa leads the Big Ten in overall victories (24).
? Iowa, the Big Ten leader in assists/game (18.2) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3), is 22-1 when tallying as many or more assists than its opponents, and 17-3 when registering fewer turnovers.
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (78.8 points/game), averaging three more points than the second-highest average.
? Iowa is 21-1 when leading at the half.
? The Hawkeyes are 21-1 when holding their opponents to less than 80 points.
? Iowa is 10-1 when shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range, 11-1 when grabbing more rebounds, and 11-1 when shooting 80 percent or better from the free throw line.
? The Hawkeyes are 7-4 in road games this season and 11-4 overall away from Iowa City. Iowa is 6-2 in Big Ten road games, and 7-2 against Big Ten opponents away from Iowa City.

BALANCED ATTACK:
Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures: Bethany Doolittle (14.2), Samantha Logic (13.8), Melissa Dixon (13.3), Ally Disterhoft (12.9), 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 30 contests, including three in the win over Illinois in the first round (Doolittle 26, Dixon 15, Disterhoft 14). 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 the only Big Ten team with three players averaging 13.2 or more points per game (Doolittle – 14.2, Logic – 13.8, Dixon – 13.3).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic (583 career assists) surpassed Cara Consuegra (1997-2001; 576) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader during Iowa’s win at Illinois on March 2 in the regular season finale. She ranks ninth in Big Ten history.
? Melissa Dixon is fifth in 3-pointers on Iowa’s all-time list (197). 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 178 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.

LEADING THE BIG TEN IN ASSISTS:
? The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.2 per contest. Iowa also leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.3).
? Iowa has led the league in assists in three of the last six years.
? Iowa tallied 28 assists on 31 made field goals on Dec. 7 in its win over Idaho State. The Hawkeyes have tallied 28 or more assists four times this season. The school record for assists in a game is 31.

HAWKEYES LIKE TO SHARE:
? For the second-straight season, the Hawkeyes have set the school record for single-season assists. Iowa tallied 20 assists in its win at Illinois during the regular season finale (March 2), surpassing the mark of 531 set last season. The Hawkeyes enter postseason play with 546 assists.
? Iowa broke the school record for single-season assists last year in the win over Miami (March 24). The previous record of 514 was set in 2011-12. Iowa finished with 531 assists. Iowa finished second in the Big Ten and 26th in the NCAA with 15.7 assists per game. Iowa recorded at least 17 assists in 15 games, including five games with 20 or more.

HAWKEYES CONTINUE TREND AGAINST RANKED FOES:
? Iowa is 3-5 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
– L at No. 23 Purdue (74-73) – Feb. 16
? The Hawkeyes have defeated 10 top-25 opponents since the start of last season (10-9 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).

IOWA HISTORY:
Iowa has played 1,163 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 716-447 (.613). That includes a 359-183 (.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.