Hawkeyes Match Up With Ball State in WNIT 1st Round

March 16, 2016

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Game Notes – WNIT (Ball State) | 2016 WNIT Bracket | Purchase WNIT First Round Tickets – Iowa City

WNIT MATCHUP
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Ball State in the 2016 Women’s NIT First Round Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The winner will advance to play either Little Rock or Saint Louis in the WNIT Second Round. Date, time, and location will be announced at a later date.

TICKET INFORMATION
? Tickets for Thursday’s WNIT First Round contest are on sale now through the UI Athletics Ticket Office. To order, call 1-800-IA-HAWKS or visit hawkeyesports.com.
? Fans can also purchase tickets in person between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) at the UI Athletics Ticket Office, located inside the main entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Tickets are free for UI students, $12 for adults, and $8 for youth (18 and under).

GAME COVERAGE
? Fans can watch the game live on BTN Plus available online at btn2go.com.
? Audio of the contest is also available through Hawkeye All-Access. Brent Balbinot (play-by-play) and Kathryn Reynolds (color) will call the action.
? Balbinot is in his 12th year as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Reynolds is in her first providing analysis.
? Reynolds, a member of the famous Core Four and team captain for the Hawkeyes in 2014-15, is pursuing a law degree at the University of Iowa.
? Links to video, audio, and live stats are available on the women’s basketball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

POSTSEASON NOTABLES
? Iowa has made nine consecutive postseason appearances (8 NCAA Tournaments, 1 WNIT).
? The Hawkeyes have made a postseason tournament appearance in 15 of head coach Lisa Bluder’s 16 seasons at the helm of the program, appearing in the NCAA Tournament 12 times and the WNIT three times (2003, 2005, 2016).
? Iowa is 7-2 all-time in the WNIT and 3-0 in games played in Iowa City.
? The Hawkeyes have advanced to the quarterfinals in every WNIT appearance.
? In its most recent WNIT appearance in 2005, Iowa advanced to the semifinal round where it lost to Missouri State, 89-80, in Springfield, Missouri. The Hawkeyes defeated Creighton, 67-52, in the first round, Nebraska, 71-67, in the second round, and Arkansas State, 66-52, in the quarterfinals.
? Iowa is one of six Big Ten Conference teams (Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers) and one of three teams from Iowa (Drake, UNI) to be included in the WNIT field of 64.

BALL STATE RUNDOWN
? The Hawkeyes and Cardinals are meeting for the first time Thursday.
? Ball State (21-9, 13-5) finished runner-up in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.
? The Cardinals entered their conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and fell in the quarterfinals to the No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan, 67-53.
? Senior Nathalie Fontaine leads Ball State. She is a three-time All-MAC first team selection and was named MAC Player of the Year. The forward averages a double-double with 20.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
? Junior Jill Morrison was named to the All-MAC third team for the second consecutive year. She averages 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
? Freshman Carmen Grande was named to the All-Freshman Team. She started all 30 games, dished out a team-high 151 assists (5.0 per game), and led the team in steals with 53 this season (1.8).
? As a team, Ball State averages 69.0 points and 40.5 rebounds per contest.
? Four Cardinals average double figures in scoring, including Fontaine (20.7), Moriah Monaco (10.9), Morrison (10.4), and Renee Bennett (10.1).
? The Hawkeyes and Cardinals had one common opponent this season in Purdue. Ball State fell at Purdue, 73-63, on Dec. 13, while Iowa split with the Boilermakers with a 90-73 loss on the road and a 63-55 win at home.

B1G TOURNAMENT REVIEW
? The No. 9 seed Hawkeyes matched Big Ten Tournament records with 28 assists, 37 field goals, and 12 blocked shots in their opening win over No. 8 seed Michigan, 97-85.
? Iowa’s .667 three-point field goal percentage ties the third-best percentage in Big Ten Tournament history.
? The team’s 97 points scored against Michigan is tied for the third-highest total in tournament history.
? The Hawkeyes’ .607 field goal percentage is the fourth-best percentage in tournament history.
? Sophomore Chase Coley posted the third-highest block total (6), freshman Tania Davis dished out the eighth-highest assist total (10), and sophomore Whitney Jennings recorded the ninth-highest steal total (9) in tournament history.
? Freshman Megan Gustafson posted her eighth double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds), while Coley recorded her sixth career double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in the contest.
? Freshman Tania Davis compiled the first double-double of her career with 10 points and 10 assists. The last Hawkeye to distribute 10 or more assists in a Big Ten Tournament game is Samantha Logic (11 vs. Purdue in 2014).
? The Hawkeyes exited the tournament with a 75-55 loss to No. 1 seed and fifth-ranked Maryland. The Terrapins went on to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the second consecutive season to secure the automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
? In the last 12 games, freshman Megan Gustafson has posted eight double-doubles, the first of her career.
? The stretch began with three consecutive double-doubles against Michigan (12 rebounds, 10 points) on Jan. 28, at Northwestern (15 points, 13 rebounds) on Jan. 31, and at Indiana (12 points, 10 rebounds).
? After recording eight rebounds and seven points against Michigan State on Feb. 7, Gustafson returned to her double-double ways with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Ohio State on Feb. 11.
? The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native secured her fifth double-double at Minnesota on Feb. 15, tallying 14 points and a career-high 19 boards. The last player to record more than 17 rebounds in a game was Samantha Logic (vs. Drake on Dec. 21, 2013). The Iowa record for rebounds in a game is 26 (Jerica Watson vs. Creighton on Dec. 15, 2001).
? After a two-game break, Gustafson secured a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds at Penn State on Feb. 24.
? Gustafson ended the regular season with a double-double, tallying a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds against Illinois on Feb. 27.
? Gustafson made her Big Ten Tournament debut with her eighth double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) against Michigan on March 3.

AWARDS SEASON
? Three Hawkeyes were honored with Big Ten Conference awards on Feb. 29.
? Junior Ally Disterhoft garnered second team All-Big Ten accolades by coaches and media for the second consecutive season and received Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award. The preseason All-Big Ten pick by coaches has scored in double figures in every game this season and in 77 of her 83 consecutive starts.
? Disterhoft, who was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll twice in the regular season, leads the Hawkeyes in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game.
? Freshmen Tania Davis and Megan Gustafson were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. It is the fifth time in 15 years that a conference team has had two players named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and the first time since 2008 when Ohio State accomplished the feat (Kalisha Keane, Brittney Thomas).
? Davis is one of two Big Ten freshmen to lead her team in assists per game (3.4) and average at least one steal per game (1.1) this season. She has dished out 110 assists through 32 games played, the second-highest total recorded by a freshman at Iowa. Samantha Logic holds the record for assists in a freshman season at Iowa with 136.
? The point guard has paced the Hawkeyes in assists in 10 games, dishing out five or more in nine contests. Davis posted a career-high 10 assists against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament on March 3.
? Gustafson is the only freshman and one of three players in the conference overall to lead her team in field goal percentage (.551), rebounds (213), and blocks (55) this season. She recorded eight double-doubles in the last 12 games and earned Iowa’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Week since 2012 on Feb. 22.
? The center has blocked 55 shots, the third-highest total recorded by a freshman in Iowa history. Morgan Johnson holds the record for blocks in a freshman season with 79, followed by Tangela Smith who tallied 73. Gustafson has posted three or more stuffs in nine games, including a career-high five at Virginia on Dec. 2. She has led Iowa in rebounding in 16 games, including 11 of the last 12 games.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA OF THE YEAR
? Junior Ally Disterhoft was named Academic All-America of the Year for Division I women’s basketball and a CoSIDA first team Academic All-America on March 3.
? She is the only junior to earn first team Academic All-America recognition and owns the top GPA (4.03) of all Academic All-Americans this year.
? The Iowa City, Iowa, native was the only sophomore to earn Academic All-America honors (third team) in 2015.
? Fellow Hawkeye Jarrod Uthoff earned the Academic All-America of the Year honor for men’s Division I basketball. It is the first time players from the same institution were recognized for the award in the same year.

BIG DIFFERENCE
? Since altering the lineup to include freshman Megan Gustafson and sophomore Chase Coley, the Hawkeyes have seen an increase in production offensively.
? In the last 13 games, Iowa has had four players average double figures in scoring rather than three in the previous 19 games. Leading the pack is junior Ally Disterhoft (18.1), followed by Gustafson (13.0), Coley (12.5), and sophomore Whitney Jennings (10.7). Freshman Tania Davis is just shy of double figures, averaging 9.8 points per game.
? Gustafson has seen her rebounds per game average spike from 4.8 to 9.4 in the last 13 games, while Coley has made the jump from 5.0 to 7.0.
? The 6-3 duo accounts for 47 percent of the team’s rebounding effort and 35 percent of Iowa’s offensive production.

FUN FACTS
? Iowa recorded its first victory without making a three-pointer (0-for-5) in 18 years against Purdue on Feb. 18. The last win in program history without a three-pointer was against Ohio State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Feb. 28, 1998. The Hawkeyes went 0-for-2 in three-point field goal attempts and recorded a 72-54 win.
? The Hawkeyes were a perfect 16-for-16 at the free throw line at Minnesota on Feb. 15. A perfect performance at the charity stripe has only happened six times in program history, most recently on Feb. 21, 2015 against Ohio State (13-for-13).
? Iowa is one of just two teams (Northwestern) to outrebound Maryland this season. The Hawkeyes recorded 38 rebounds to the Terrapins’ 37 on Jan. 10 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

HAWKEYE FRESHMEN REPORT
? Freshman Megan Gustafson leads all Big Ten freshmen in blocks with 55. Gustafson is one of two freshmen to lead her team in blocks this year (Hallie Thome, Michigan — 37 blocks).
? Gustafson leads league freshmen in blocks per game (1.7), is second in rebounding (213), and fourth in scoring (330). She is one of two freshmen in the conference who lead their team in rebounds.
? Gustafson has blocked three or more shots in nine of her 32 career games.
? Freshman Tania Davis is one of two Big Ten freshmen who lead their team in the assists category. She has distributed 110 this season, bested only by Penn State’s Teniya Page (127). Davis is only the second freshman in Iowa women’s basketball history to dish out more than 100 assists (Samantha Logic – 136).
? Davis is second among Big Ten freshmen in steals (35) behind Page (37) and sixth in scoring (256). She has dished out five or more assists in nine of her 32 games played.

CALL ON ME
? Junior Ally Disterhoft, a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree for the second year in a row and preseason All-Big Ten selection by league coaches, has been a consistent force for the Hawkeyes all season.
? Disterhoft, who averages 36.5 minutes per contest, is third in the conference and 13th nationally with 1,169 minutes played this season.
? The 6-0 forward paces Iowa in points per game (17.1), and is third in rebounds per game (5.4), assists per game (2.7), and steals per game (0.9).
? She has scored double figures in every game of the season and in 77 of her 83 career starts.
? The Iowa City, Iowa, native has led Iowa in scoring in 15 of 32 games this season, scoring 20 points or more in 10 contests.
? Disterhoft owns a .536 field goal percentage, a .404 three-point field goal percentage, and a .722 free throw percentage.

MOVING UP THE CHARTS
? Junior Ally Disterhoft is 11th all-time in scoring (1,523 career points), 13th all-time in three-point field goals made (113), and 18th all-time in rebounding (602 career rebounds) in Iowa women’s basketball history.
? Disterhoft, who has played in every game of her Hawkeye career with 83 consecutive starts, has scored double figures in every game this year and in 77 of her 83 career starts. She is the third-highest scoring junior in program history with 546 points this season. The record for points in a junior season is 564 (Michelle Edwards, 1986-87).
? Megan Gustafson has compiled 55 blocks through 32 games played this season, which is third on the all-time freshman list at Iowa. The program record of 79 stuffs was set by Morgan Johnson in 2009-10. Gustafson averages a team-leading 1.7 blocks per contest and has compiled three or more stuffs in nine games this season.
? Gustafson owns the sixth-highest rebound total of all freshmen in program history with 213 boards. The record for most rebounds in a freshman season is 252 (Krista VandeVenter, 2004-05).
? Alexa Kastanek has netted 56 three-point field goals so far in her junior campaign, which is fourth in her class in program history. The record for three-pointers made in a junior season is 97 (Melissa Dixon, 2013-14).
? Tania Davis is the second-highest rated freshman passer in program history with 110 assists. The record for assists in a freshman season is 136 (Samantha Logic, 2011-12).

SHARP SHOOTING HAWKEYES ADVANCE
? No. 9 seed Iowa defeated No. 8 seed Michigan, 97-85, in Big Ten Tournament action on March 3.
? The Hawkeyes had three players with double-doubles for the first time this year, including freshman Megan Gustafson (25 points, 10 rebounds), sophomore Chase Coley (20 points, 10 rebounds), and freshman Tania Davis (10 points, 10 assists).
? Iowa scored a season-high 97 points. The squad shot a season-best 60.7 percent from the field and a season-high 66.7 percent from three-point range.
? Iowa posted a season-high 12 blocks. Coley led the way, setting a career-high with six stuffs. She ranks third all-time for blocked shots in a single game of the Big Ten Tournament.
? The Hawkeyes scored 52 points in the first half for their best offensive half of the season. In the second quarter alone, Iowa netted 31 points, the highest point total in a quarter this year.
? Several Hawkeyes set career-highs in the contest, including junior Ally Disterhoft (4 three-point field goals, 3 blocks), Coley (6 assists, 6 blocks), Gustafson (25 points), Davis (10 assists), and sophomore Whitney Jennings (6 steals).