No. 16 Iowa Hosts Ohio State Thursday

Feb. 4, 2015

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Game Notes: Ohio State

THE SETTING:
The 16th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team (17-4, 8-2) hosts Ohio State (15-7, 7-3) on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT).

QUICK HITS:
? Iowa is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top-25 poll and No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
? Iowa’s NCAA RPI (Feb. 4) is No. 5. Iowa is 9-3 against teams in the top 55 of the RPI.
? Iowa is in second place in the Big Ten at 8-2, one game ahead of Nebraska, Rutgers, and Ohio State (7-3).
? The Hawkeyes are off to their best start in league play and overall since the 1995-96 season.
? Iowa senior Samantha Logic, the NCAA’s active career assists leader (775), ranks sixth in assists in Big Ten history. Penn State’s Jess Strom is fifth with 776 career assists.
? Senior Melissa Dixon (293 career 3-pointers) needs two 3-pointers to move into third in Big Ten history.
? Dixon (3.95) and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (3.82) rank No. 1 and 2 nationally in 3-pointers per game.
? Mitchell (26 points per game), a freshman, and Ohio State junior Ameryst Alston (20.6) rank first and third in the Big Ten in scoring.
? The Hawkeyes won all three meetings against Ohio State last season.
? Iowa set the school record for scoring offense (78.2) last season, leading the league in scoring while notching the second-most points in a season in Big Ten history (2,814). The Hawkeyes rank ninth nationally this season (79.7).
? Ally Disterhoft has scored in double figures in 35 of her 38 career starts. Iowa is 30-8 when Disterhoft starts.

TICKETS:
Single game women’s basketball tickets are $12 for adults. Youth — high school-aged and younger — are admitted free to all weekday games, including Friday night games. Youth tickets for weekend games cost $8. Youth — five years old and younger — are admitted free to all games. UI students are admitted free with student ID. Tickets are available by visiting the ticket office at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or online at hawkeyesports.com.

WATCH THE ACTION:
Thursday’s contest can be seen for a fee on BTN Plus.

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 11th season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her 10th providing analysis.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats (Gametracker). The link can be accessed on the women’s basketball schedule page of hawkeyesports.com. Follow @iowawbb on Twitter for live game updates.

BEST START SINCE 1996:
? The Hawkeyes (8-2) are off to their best start in Big Ten play since starting 11-0 during the 1995-96 season.
? Iowa is off to its best start (17-4) through 21 games since the 1995-96 season when it opened 20-1. The Hawkeyes finished 27-4 overall and 15-1 in Big Ten action that year while advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE:
? Ohio State is 15-7 overall and 7-3 in Big Ten play, one game behind Iowa.
? The Buckeyes have won four-straight games.
? Ohio State is 3-3 in road games.
? Kelsey Mitchell (26.0 points per game) and Ameryst Alston (20.6) make up the top-scoring back court in the country. Mitchell leads the nation in scoring, while Alston is third in the Big Ten.
? Ohio State is coached by Kevin McGuff. He is in his second season.

SERIES HISTORY/NOTES:
? Iowa and Ohio State have met 61 times. Ohio State leads the all-time series, 31-30.
? The Hawkeyes have won the last four meetings in the series, including all three last season.
? Iowa has won the last four meetings in Iowa City.
? Iowa’s Melissa Dixon leads the nation in 3-point field goals per game (3.95), while Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell is second nationally at 3.82. Dixon has made 83 in 21 games, while Mitchell has made 84 in 22 games. No other player in the country has converted more than 68.
? Ohio State is second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in scoring offense (81.0), while Iowa is third in the conference and ninth nationally (79.7).
? Iowa leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (40.7%). The Hawkeyes (8.3/game) and Buckeyes (7.8) lead the league in 3-pointers.

DISTERHOFT NAMED TO BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR ROLL:
? Ally Disterhoft was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll on Feb. 2 after averaging 21.3 points and eight rebounds during Iowa’s three games against No. 15 Nebraska, Northwestern, and No. 5 Maryland.
? The sophomore notched a double-double in the overtime win over Nebraska (20 points, 13 rebounds), and scored 22 points at Northwestern and at Maryland.

RECORD-SETTING WIN:
? Iowa won at Northwestern on Jan. 29, 102-99.
? The two teams combined for 32 3-pointers, setting a new NCAA record for combined 3-pointers in a game. The previous record was 31.
? Iowa converted 19 3-pointers, setting a new program and Big Ten record for 3-pointers by a team in a single game. Previous record (17): Iowa vs. Idaho State (Dec. 7, 2013); Ohio State vs. Penn State (Feb. 7, 2010).
? Senior Melissa Dixon made nine 3-pointers, finishing 9-of-10. Iowa finished with 32 assists on 33 field goals, setting a new program record.

FUN FACTS:
? Iowa is 44-13 overall since the start of last season (27-9 last year; 17-4 this year).
? The Hawkeyes enter Thursday’s game ranked No. 5 in the NCAA RPI.
? Iowa is 9-3 against teams in the top 55 of the RPI.
? Iowa is 16-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points, and 1-3 when failing to reach the 70-point plateau.
? The Hawkeyes are 12-0 when registering more steals than their opponent this year, and 12-1 when recording fewer turnovers.
? Iowa ranks 13th nationally in assists per game. The Hawkeyes are 12-1 when notching more assists than their opponent.
? The Hawkeyes are third nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (40.7%), ninth in scoring offense (79.7), ninth in field goal percentage (46.3%), 17th in assist to turnover ratio (1.24), and 14th in 3-pointers per game (8.3).

THE NATION’S LEADING 3-POINT SHOOTER:
? Iowa senior Melissa Dixon leads the nation in 3-point field goals, averaging 3.95 per game.
? Dixon is first in the Big Ten and fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (48%).
? Dixon made six 3-pointers (6-of-10) in the win at Rutgers on Jan. 4, surpassing Lindsey Meder (261) for the most in Iowa history.
? Dixon is tied for fourth in Big Ten history with 293 career 3-pointers.
? She scored 31 points in Iowa’s win at Drake on Dec. 21, making 10 3-pointers (10-of-14), setting a new school record. The previous school record was seven, accomplished five times in program history, twice by Dixon; the NCAA and Big Ten record for 3-pointers in a single game is 12.
? Dixon finished 9-of-10 from 3-point range in Iowa’s 102-99 win at Northwestern (Jan. 29).

1,000-POINT CLUB:
? Four members of this year’s team have reached, or have the potential to reach 1,000 career points this season.
? Senior Samantha Logic (1,329 points) ranks 15th on Iowa’s all-time scoring list. Lisa Becker is 14th (1,335).
? Senior Melissa Dixon (1,318 points) is 17th. Amy Herrig is 16th (1,319).
? Senior Bethany Doolittle became the 33rd member of Iowa’s 1,000-point club in the Hawkeyes’ win over Penn State on Dec. 28. She has 1,138 career points to rank 26th.
? Sophomore Ally Disterhoft has 804 career points. She tallied 474 in 36 games as a freshman last year (13.2 per game), and is averaging 15.7 points per game this season.

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS:
? Samantha Logic (775 career assists) surpassed Cara Consuegra (1997-2001; 576) as Iowa’s all-time assists leader during Iowa’s win at Illinois on March 2, 2014, during the 2013-14 regular season finale. She ranks sixth in Big Ten history. Jess Strom of Penn State (776) is fifth, while Helen Darling of Penn State is fourth (791).
? Melissa Dixon is Iowa’s career record holder for 3-pointers (293). She is tied for fourth in Big Ten history with Amber Moore of Illinois. Lindsay Bowen of Michigan State is third (294). Kelly Mazzante of Penn State is second (357), while Maggie Lucas of Penn State is the Big Ten record holder (365).
? Bethany Doolittle is third all-time in program history with 233 career blocks. Tangela Smith is second with 235. Morgan Johnson is first with 293.

IOWA RANKED FOR THE 13TH-STRAIGHT WEEK THIS SEASON:
? Iowa is No. 16 in this week’s Associated Press Top-25 poll and No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Iowa has been ranked in each of the first 13 weeks this year: preseason (19/19), week 2 (18/18), week 3 (17/16), week 4 (22/19), week 5 (24/24), week 6 (23/24), week 7 (23/20), week 8 (20/20), week 9 (17/17), week 10 (22/21), week 11 (20/18), week 12 (20/17), and week 13 (16/17).
? It marks the longest Iowa has been ranked since being ranked for 13-straight weeks during the 2010-11 season, and 14 weeks in total that year. Prior to that, the longest stretch was 18-straight weeks during the 1995-96 season.
? In the AP Poll, Maryland is No. 5, followed by Iowa (No. 16), Nebraska (No. 19), and Rutgers (No. 21).
? The Hawkeyes finished the 2013-14 season ranked 19th in the AP Top-25 poll, and 26th (receiving votes) in the USA Today Coaches poll. Iowa was ranked for eight weeks last season in the AP poll, and received votes in nine additional weeks.

HAWKEYES AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA:
The Hawkeyes are 361-101 (.781) all-time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and 11-6 in NCAA Tournament games. Iowa went 14-4 at home last season, and is 101-24 in its last 124 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 12-0 at home this season, with four regular season home dates remaining. Iowa has won 15-straight regular season home games dating back to last year.

Iowa’s 14 home wins a year ago equaled the second-highest single-season total in program history. The 14 wins were the most in Iowa City since the Hawkeyes finished 14-0 in the 1995-96 season. Iowa also won 14 home games in 1988-89 (14-0), 1987-88 (14-0), 1986-87 (14-1), 1985-86 (14-1). The program record for home wins is 15, as the Hawkeyes finished 15-0 in 1992-93. Iowa advanced to the NCAA Final Four that season.

LOGIC NAMED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD WATCH LIST:
Senior Samantha Logic is one of 16 student-athletes to be named to the Midseason Watch List for the Dawn Staley Award. The Dawn Staley Award is given to the most outstanding collegiate guard in the country; a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed during her career (ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball, and her will to win).

TOUGH SCHEDULE:
Iowa has played the 11th toughest schedule in the country this season. Iowa’s schedule this season features 29 regular season games (18 conference, 11 nonconference). Of those 29 contests, 20 will come against teams that played in a postseason tournament last season. Seventeen-of-24 teams the Hawkeyes play this season reached a postseason tournament a year ago.

With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten, the 14 league teams will compete in an 18-game conference schedule, playing five teams both home and away and eight teams once. Each team will play four of its single-play opponents at home and four on the road. Iowa plays Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Wisconsin twice, while playing the other eight league teams once.

UP NEXT:
Iowa plays at Wisconsin on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT) before playing at No. 18 Nebraska on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. (CT).