Iowa Hosts Kent State on Tuesday in Nonconference Finale

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THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team (8-4) returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 19 when it hosts Kent State (6-4) in its nonconference finale. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (CT) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $12 for adults and free for youth (ages 18 & younger) and UI students. 

WATCH/LISTEN

• Tuesday’s contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Links can be found on the Iowa women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com. 
• Rob Brooks and Jamie Cavey Lang will have the call on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Links to the broadcast are available on the women’s basketball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

TUESDAY PARKING
Public parking will not be available in Lot 33 and will be limited in Lot 75. Public parking will be available free of charge in Lots 65 (Finkbine Commuter), 43N, 43W, and 43 NW. Hospital Ramps 3 and 4 and the Newton Road Ramp will also be available at the applicable hourly rate. 

SEASON TICKETS 
Season tickets are on sale for the 2016-17 Iowa women’s basketball season. General public season tickets are $100. UI faculty/staff can purchase tickets for $80. Senior tickets are also $80, while youth season tickets (18 or younger) are $25. UI students are admitted free to women’s basketball games. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the ticket office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or online at hawkeyesports.com. 

SCOUTING KENT STATE

• Kent State enters Tuesday’s contest with a 6-4 overall record. The Golden Flashes have won four straight games with wins over Florida Golf Coast, Fort Wayne, Wright State, and Youngstown State. 
• Senior guard Larissa Lurken leads the team in scoring (23.0) and rebounding (6.5). Junior forward Jordan Korinek is also averaging double figures in scoring (12.0). 
• The Golden Flashes rank eighth in free throw attempts (258) and free throws made (186). As a team, Kent State is shooting .721 from the free throw line. 
• Lurken leads the nation in free throw attempts (105) and free throws made (84). She also ranks fifth in points per game (23.0) and eighth in total points (230). 
• The Hawkeyes and Golden Flashes have each played Robert Morris. The Hawkeyes defeated the Colonials, 81-60, on Dec. 9 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Kent State fell to Robert Morris, 65-68, in overtime on Nov. 19 in Kent, Ohio. 
• The Golden Flashes are coached by first-year head coach Todd Starkey. Starkey spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. 

THE SERIES

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 2-0. 
• The team’s last met in Iowa City, Iowa, in 2001. The Hawkeyes defeated the Golden Flashes, 76-65, in the Hawkeye Challenge at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

MARGIN OF VICTORY 

• Iowa has won by 20 or more points five times this season, including wins against Oral Roberts (96-76), Hampton (84-51), Massachusetts (71-30), Northern Iowa (88-39), and Robert Morris (81-60). 
• The Hawkeyes are averaging 78.0 points per game and holding their opponents to 63.8 (+14.3). 

DAVIS NAMED MADNESS B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

• Sophomore Tania Davis was named the Madness Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, College Sports Madness announced Dec.12. 
• Davis averaged a team-high 18.5 points, shot .526 from the field (10-of-19), .600 from 3-point range (6-for-10) and a perfect 1.000 (11-for-11) from the free throw line to lead Iowa to a pair of wins over Iowa State and Robert Morris. 
• The Flint, Michigan, native registered career highs in points (23), 3-pointers made (5) and field goals made (7) to guide the Hawkeyes past in-state rival Iowa State (88-76) on Wednesday. 
• Two days later, Davis netted 14 points and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe to help the Hawkeyes to an 81-60 win over Robert Morris. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Sophomore Megan Gustafson registered the 16th double-double of her career against Iowa State. It was her seventh double-double of the season.
• Gustafson is one of eight NCAA student-athletes to record seven or more double-doubles this season. 
• Gustafson has led Iowa in boards in every game this season. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native ranks fourth in the nation in double-doubles (7), fifth in rebounds (126), sixth in field goals made (86), ninth in field goal percentage (.672), and 23rd in rebounds per game (10.5). 

HAVE A DAY, TANIA

• A career day by sophomore Tania Davis led the Hawkeyes past in-state foe Iowa State on Wednesday, Dec. 7. 
• Davis registered career highs in points (23), 3-pointers made (5), and field goals made (7). 
• The Flint, Michigan, native was 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range in 30 minutes of action. 
• On the season, Davis is shooting .404 (19-of-47) from long distance — the second highest percentage on the team (Disterhoft, .513). 

DYNAMIC DUO

• Senior Ally Disterhoft and sophomore Megan Gustafson have each scored in double figures in every game this season. 
• Both Disterhoft and Gustafson have netted 20 or more points four times this year. They both accomplished the feat in games against Oral Roberts, James Madison, and Drake.  
• Together, the pair averages 34.2 points per game. 

DISTERHOFT FROM DOWNTOWN

• After starting the season 1-for-9 from 3-point range, senior Ally Disterhoft has netted 19 of her last 30 (.633) shots from downtown. 
• Disterhoft leads the team, shooting .513 (20-of-39) from 3-point range this season. 

FAST FACTS 

• The Hawkeyes are 8-0 when leading at the half. 
• Iowa is 8-0 when scoring 70 points or more. 
• The Hawkeyes rank 11th nationally in total attendance (31,469). 
• Iowa shot .688 (11-for-16) from three point range against UNI on Dec. 4, marking the second-highest 3-point field goal percentage in a single game this season (Tennessee, .857, vs. Navy). 

MOVIN’ ON UP 

• Senior Ally Disterhoft now ranks sixth on Iowa’s all-time career scoring list. 
• Disterhoft has 1,756 career points and is 303 points from tying Iowa’s all-time scoring record of 2,059 set by Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80). 
• Disterhoft also ranks 10th all-time in 3-point field goals (136), 13th in career blocks (59), and 14th in rebounds (668). 

DOYLE GETS STARTING NOD 

• Kathleen Doyle registered her first career start against No. 9 UCLA in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 24. She has remained in the starting lineup since. 
• Since getting the starting nod, Doyle is averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. 
• Doyle set career highs in points (17) and field goals made (6) against Iowa State on Dec. 7.
• The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native ranks seventh in the conference in steals (24) and is tied for eighth in steals per game (2.0). 

IN THE POLLS

• Two Big Ten teams are included in the week seven (Dec. 19) Associated Press Top 25. They include: No. 4 Maryland and No. 12 Ohio State. Northwestern is receiving 24 votes in the poll. 
• Maryland (No. 3) and Ohio State (No. 13) are also included in the week six (Dec. 13) USA TODAY Coaches Poll, while Michigan State (26), Northwestern (9), Michigan (7), and Penn State (1) are receiving votes.  

AROUND THE NATION

• The Hawkeyes rank eighth nationally in assists with 218 on the season. 
• Iowa also ranks 11th in field goal percentage (.487), 15th in rebounds (507), 16th in defensive rebounds per game (31), and 22nd in assists per game (18.2). 
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson ranks fourth in the nation in double-doubles (7), fifth in rebounds (126), sixth in field goals made (86), ninth in field goal percentage (.672), and 23rd in rebounds per game (10.5). 
• Senior Ally Disterhoft ranks 18th in the nation in points (214) and 24th in field goal percentage (.595). 

AROUND THE LEAGUE 

• Iowa leads the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.265). The Hawkeyes also rank third in field goal percentage defense (.354), field goal percentage (.487), and assists (18.2). 
• Three Hawkeyes rank within the top-10 in field goal percentage. They include: Megan Gustafson (.672; T-1st), Ally Disterhoft (.695; 6th), and Hannah Stewart (.582; 8th). 
• Gustafson leads the league in double-doubles (7) and field goal percentage (.672). She also ranks second in rebounding (10.5) and defensive rebounds (7.1), fifth in offensive rebounds (3.4), and eighth in blocked shots (1.4). 
• Disterhoft leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting .513 from behind the arc. She also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.595), and eighth in scoring (17.8). 
• Sophomore Tania Davis leads the league with a .919 free throw percentage. She ranks ninth in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting .404 from behind the arc this season. 
• Freshman Kathleen Doyle is tied for eighth in the conference with 2.0 steals per game.  

CALL ON ME

• Senior Ally Disterhoft has netted double figures in 90 of her 96 career starts, including her last 45 straight games. 
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native has started 96 consecutive games and appeared in every game of her Hawkeye career (114). 
• Disterhoft has 1,756 career points and is 303 points from tying Iowa’s all-time scoring record of 2,059 set by Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80). 
• Disterhoft has registered 20 or more points in four games this season. 
• Last season, Disterhoft became the program’s highest scoring junior, netting 565 points to break Michelle Edwards’ record of 564 points in 1986-87. 

HISTORICALLY GOOD DEFENSE

• The Hawkeyes held Massachusetts to just 30 points in the first game of the Hawkeye Challenge on Nov. 19, tying a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record for fewest points allowed. It also marked the second-fewest points allowed in the Big Ten this season (27, Purdue vs. North Carolina Central). 
• Iowa held the Minutewomen to just 10 first half points, breaking a program record for fewest points allowed in a first half. 
• The Hawkeyes allowed just 39 points against UNI on Dec. 4. It marked the second time this season Iowa has held an opponent to under 40 points. 

GUSTAFSON NAMED B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Center/forward Megan Gustafson was named Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced Nov. 14.  It is the second weekly honor of Gustafson’s career. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native posted back-to-back double-doubles to lead Iowa to wins overall Oral Roberts and Hampton on Nov. 11 and 13. The sophomore tied a career high in points (25) and recorded 12 rebounds, an assist and a block in 26 minutes of action against Oral Roberts on Nov. 11. Two days later, Gustafson netted 14 points and pulled down 11 boards to lead the Hawkeyes past Hampton. She also went a combined 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
• Gustafson earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 22, 2016. She is the first Hawkeye to win Big Ten Player of the Week since Samantha Logic won the award on March 2, 2015.  

DISTERHOFT EARNS PRESEASON HONOR 
Senior Ally Disterhoft was named Preseason All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, the Big Ten Conference announced Oct. 24. The Iowa City, Iowa, native was a second team All-Big Ten selection in 2015 and 2016 and an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree in 2014. She was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and Big Ten All-Tournament team in 2014. 

HAWKEYES CONTINUE POSTSEASON STREAK

• Iowa made its ninth straight postseason appearance (8 NCAA, 1 WNIT) with an at-large bid to the WNIT in 2016.
• Iowa was 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.

RETURNING EXPERIENCE

• Iowa returns four of its five starters from last season in senior Ally Disterhoft, junior Chase Coley, and sophomores Tania Davis and Megan Gustafson. 
• Senior 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 and media scored in double figures in every game last season and in 78 of her 84 consecutive starts. 
• Tania Davis and Megan Gustafson were named to the 2016 Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
• Davis was one of two Big Ten freshmen to lead her team in assists per game (3.4) and average at least one steal per game (1.2) last season. She has dished out 111 assists in 33 games played, the second-highest total recorded by a freshman at Iowa (Samantha Logic; 136). 
• Gustafson was the only freshman and one of three players in the conference overall to lead her team in field goal percentage (.554), rebounds (225), and blocks (58) last season. 
• Chase Coley averaged 11.1 points per game last season — the second highest mark on the team. The junior compiled 365 points, 194 rebounds, 53 assists, 37 blocks, and 24 steals in her sophomore campaign to receive Iowa’s Most Improved Award. 

QUALITY YOUTH

• Iowa’s freshman class was ranked No. 7 nationally by Blue Star — the highest ranked recruiting class for head coach Lisa Bluder and her staff. 
• Iowa’s freshmen class consists of Bre Cera (2016 Journal Sentinel Player of the Year), Kathleen Doyle (Illinois Miss Basketball), Makenzie Meyer (Iowa Miss Basketball), Amanda Ollinger (2016 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year), and Alexis Sevellian (finalist for Michigan Miss Basketball). 
• Cera has started all seven games this season, while Meyer has started five and Doyle has started the last two. 

THE BLUDER FILE

• Head coach Lisa Bluder begins her 17th season at the helm of the Iowa women’s basketball program this season. She owns a 331-192 (.633) overall record and a 160-106 Big Ten record at Iowa. In her 32 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 687-334 (.673).
• Bluder is one of 14 active Division I coaches to collect 675 or more career wins.
• The head Hawkeye is second in career Big Ten wins (160) and in total wins among Big Ten coaches. She trails only C. Vivian Stringer who has compiled 189 Big Ten wins and 971 career wins.
• Bluder ranks third all-time among all Big Ten coaches with 160 conference victories.

IOWAWBB.COM 
Check out the Iowa women’s basketball team’s website, iowawbb.com, devoted to everything on and off the court surrounding the program. Iowawbb.com allows fans to go behind the scenes with the Hawkeye basketball program. The site is complete with exclusive videos, photo galleries, and content featuring the basketball program. 

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play when they travel to Illinois on Dec. 28. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (CT) from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.