Iowa WBB Hosts Michigan State on Thursday

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THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, hosting Michigan State. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $1 for adults and free for kids (18 & younger) and UI students. 

WATCH/LISTEN

• Thursday’s contest will air live on BTN. Mike Wolf and Christy Winters Scott will have the call. The game will also be available 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.

PROMOTIONS

• Thursday is Buck Night as all tickets will be available for $1.
• Kids and UI students will be admitted free of charge. 

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

• Michigan State enters Thursday’s contest with a 16-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Big Ten play. The Spartans are tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings (as of Feb. 8). 
• The Spartans have won their last three games with wins at Wisconsin (81-57), at Minnesota (93-74), and  home against Indiana (69-60). 
• Senior guard Tori Jankoska leads the team in points per game (21.6) and rebounds per game (8.2). 
• Jankoska ranks fourth nationally in 3-point field goals per game (3.39), fifth in 3-point field goals attempted (208), sixth in 3-pointers made (78), eighth in final points (496), and 11th in free throw percentage (.902) and points per game (21.6). 
• Jankoska was added to the Wade Watch List by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Monday. The Wade Trophy honors the national women’s college basketball player of the year. 
• As a team, the Spartans rank ninth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (30), 14th in assists per game (17.7), and 19th in assists (408). 

THE SERIES

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 35-28. 
• Michigan State won both meetings last season. Iowa dropped an 80-73 decision to the No. 18 Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan on Jan. 16, 2016, before falling 74-69 to 14th-ranked Michigan State on Feb. 7, 2016. 
• The Hawkeyes last defeated the Spartans on Jan. 18, 2015. Iowa edged Michigan State, 52-50, in East Lansing. 
• The last three contests between the two teams have been decided by seven points or less. 

HOME SWEET HOME

• The Hawkeyes are 11-3 when playing in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season. 
• Two of Iowa’s three losses at home came to top-5 teams (No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 Maryland).
• Iowa is shooting .489 from the field and .348 from 3-point range in games played in Carver. In true road contests, Iowa is shooting .446 from the field and .252 from 3-point range. 
• The Hawkeyes average 43.0 rebounds per game on their home court and 34.1 in true road contests. 

APPROACHING HISTORY

• Head coach Lisa Bluder has 693 career wins and is just seven away from recording career win No. 700. 
• Bluder is in her 33rd season as a head coach and her 17th at the helm of the Hawkeyes. 
• In her 17 seasons in Iowa City, Bluder — Iowa’s all-time winningest coach — has accumulated  337 wins. 
• The Hawkeyes have advanced to 15 postseasons (12 NCAA and three WNIT) under Bluder’s direction, including NCAA Tournament berths in eight of the last nine seasons. 

DAVIS OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH TORN ACL

• Sophomore guard Tania Davis will miss the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. The injury occured in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s Feb. 5 contest against Michigan. 
• Davis, a native of Flint, Michigan, has started all 23 games this season as Iowa’s point guard, averaging 10.9 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebound, and 30.4 minutes per game. 

IOWA CLINCHES SWEEP OVER RUTGERS

• The Hawkeyes clinched the series sweep over Rutgers with a 71-57 victory on Feb. 2 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson and senior Ally Disterhoft combined for 45 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Hawkeyes. 
• Gustafson notched her 11th double-double of the season, tying her career high with 25 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. 
• Disterhoft was one rebound shy of her second double-double on the season. The Iowa City, Iowa, native registered 20 points and nine boards.
• Three Hawkeyes — sophomore Tania Davis and freshmen Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer — each registered five assists in the contest. Iowa tallied 17 assists on 23 field goals. 
• Davis registered 11 points for the Hawkeyes and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. 

DYNAMIC DUO

• Sophomore Megan Gustafson has scored in double figures in every game this season, while senior Ally Disterhoft Disterhoft has netted double digits in 21-of-23 games. 
• Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 11 times this year, while Disterhoft has accomplished the feat five times. Both Hawkeyes have scored 20 or more points in games against Oral Roberts, James Madison, Drake, and Rutgers. 
• Gustafson and Disterhoft combined for 45 points and 21 rebounds in Iowa’s 71-57 victory over Rutgers on Feb. 2. Gustafson notched her 11th double-double of the season (25 points, 12 rebounds), while Disterhoft was one rebound shy of her second double-double of the season (20 points, nine boards). 
• Together, the pair averages 33.8 points per game.

HAWKS HELPING HAWKS

• Sophomore Tania Davis and freshmen Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer each registered five assists in Iowa’s win over Rutgers on Feb. 2. 
• The trio combined for 15 of Iowa’s 17 assists. The Hawkeyes registered 23 field goals in the contest. 
• Meyer’s five assists marked a new career high. 
• On the season, Davis, Doyle and Meyer have combined for 229 of Iowa’s 414 total assists. 

DOYLE HAS CAREER DAY

• Freshman Kathleen Doyle set career highs in points (21), field goals made (8), and 3-point field goals made (3) against Maryland on Jan. 29. 
• Doyle also registered a team-high three steals and dished out five assists in the contest. 
• In 10 conference games this season, Doyle is averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. She’s shooting .411 (39-of-95) from the field and .313 (10-of-32) from behind the arc. 

UNSELFISH BASKETBALL 

• The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in assists per game (18.0)  
• Iowa also ranks third in the conference and 17th in the NCAA in total assists (414).
• Seven Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists on the season. Sophomore Tania Davis leads the team with 98. She is joined by freshman Kathleen Doyle (91), senior Ally Disterhoft (61), freshmen Makenzie Meyer (40) and Bre Cera (26), junior Chase Coley (25) and senior Alexa Kastanek (24). 
• Doyle registered a career-high seven assists against No. 3 Maryland on Jan. 14, while Meyer recorded a career-high five against Rutgers on Feb. 2. 

I’LL TAKE THAT, PLEASE

• Freshman Kathleen Doyle leads the team with 47 steals on the season. She is 10 steals away from tying Iowa’s program record for steals in a freshman season (57, Johanna Solverson, 02-03). 
• The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native ranks sixth in the Big Ten Conference, averaging 2.04 steals per game. 
• Doyle’s 2.05 steals per game average is the highest among all Big Ten freshmen. 
• In 10 conference games this season, Doyle is averaging 2.2 steals — the fifth-highest total in the Big Ten. 

MOVIN’ ON UP 

• Senior Ally Disterhoft now ranks second on Iowa’s all-time career scoring list. 
• Disterhoft has 1,910 career points and is 149 points from tying Iowa’s all-time scoring record of 2,059 set by Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80). 
• Disterhoft also ranks ninth all-time in 3-point field goals (149), 13th in career blocks (64), and 12th in rebounds (733). 

GUSTAFSON NAMED TO B1G HONOR ROLL… AGAIN

• Sophomore Megan Gustafson was named to the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week Honor Roll by the league office on Jan. 23. 
• It marked the fifth weekly honor of Gustafson’s career and her fourth of the season. 
• Gustafson shot .750 (15-of-20) from the field to help Iowa to a pair of Big Ten Conference wins against Rutgers and Minnesota last week. She averaged 19.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in 62 minutes of action. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native scored a team-high 19 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting performance to lead Iowa to is first Big Ten Conference road win of the season at Rutgers on Jan. 17. Four days later, Gustafson registered a team-leading 19 points and 12 rebounds against the Golden Gophers. It marked her 10th double-double of the season and the 19th of her career. 
• Gustafson earned Big Ten Player of the Week accolades on Nov. 14 before being named to the Honor Roll on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. She garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 22, 2016. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Sophomore Megan Gustafson registered the 21st double-double of her career at Michigan on Feb. 5. It was her 12th double-double of the season.
• Gustafson is one of 24 NCAA student-athletes to record 12 or more double-doubles this season. 
• Gustafson has led Iowa in boards in 21-of-23 games this season. 
• Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 10 times this year. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage (.655), 17th in double-doubles( 12), 18th in field goals made (169), 29th in rebounds (226), and 32nd in rebounds per game (9.8). 

FAST FACTS 

• The Hawkeyes are 13-2 when leading at the half. 
• Iowa is 14-3 when scoring 70 points or more. 
• Iowa is ranked eighth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .474 on the season. 
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson is one of 24 student-athletes to record 12 or more double-doubles on the season. 
• The Hawkeyes rank 15th nationally in total attendance (63,734) and 18th in attendance average (4,552). Iowa’s largest crowd of the season (7,191) came against Minnesota on Jan. 21. 

IN THE POLLS

• Three Big Ten teams are included in the week 14 (Feb. 6) Associated Press Top 25. They include: No. 3 Maryland, No. 13 Ohio State, and No. 21 Michigan. 
• Maryland (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 13), and Michigan (No. 22) are also included in the week 14 USA TODAY Coaches Poll (Feb. 7). Northwestern (12) is receiving votes. 

CALL ON ME

• Senior Ally Disterhoft has netted double figures in 99 of her 107 career starts, including 54 of her last 56 games. 
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native has started 107 consecutive games and appeared in every game of her Hawkeye career (125). 
• Disterhoft has 1,910 career points and is 149 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 five 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. 

AROUND THE NATION

• Iowa is ranked eighth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .474 on the season. 
• The Hawkeyes rank 11th nationally, averaging 18.0 assists per game. 
• Iowa’s 414 total assists rank 17th nationally. 
• The Hawkeyes also rank 22nd in scoring offense (76.1).
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson  ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage (.655), 17th in double-doubles( 12), 18th in field goals made (169), 29th in rebounds (226), and 32nd in rebounds per game (9.8). 
• Sophomore Tania Davis is 19th nationally in free throw percentage (.878). 

AROUND THE LEAGUE 

• Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 18.0 assists per game. 
• The Hawkeyes also rank second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.292), third in field goal percentage (.474), and fifth in defensive rebounds (28.3), free throw percentage (.721), scoring offense (76.1), and scoring margin (+9.3). 
• Two Hawkeyes rank within the top-10 in field goal percentage. They include: Megan Gustafson (.655; 2nd) and Ally Disterhoft (.522; 9th). 
• Gustafson ranks second in field goal percentage (.655) and double-doubles (12), third in offensive rebounds (3.5), fifth in defensive rebounds (6.3) and rebounding (9.9), and 10th in scoring (17.8). 
• Sophomore Tania Davis is shooting .878 from the free throw line — the third-highest total in the conference. She also ranks 12th in assists, averaging 4.3 per game. 
• Freshman Kathleen Doyle is sixth in the conference in steals (2.0), tied 11th in assist to turnover ratio (1.8) and 13th in assists (4.0). 
• Disterhoft ranks 10th in field goal percentage (.522) and 13th in scoring (16.0). 

HISTORICALLY GOOD DEFENSE

• Iowa currently ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.294). 
• 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 EARNS 2ND STRAIGHT B1G HONOR ROLL PLAUDIT

• For the second straight week, sophomore Megan Gustafson was named to the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week Honor Roll, the conference office announced Jan. 2. It marked the fourth weekly honor of Gustafson’s career and her third of the season.
• Gustafson averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in a pair of Big Ten Conference games against Illinois and Nebraska last week.
• She led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7-of-12 (.583) from the field at Illinois. Gustafson pulled down 13 boards (6 offensive) to register her eighth double-double of the season. She also dished out three assists and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line against the Illini.
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native recorded a team-high 22 points and a team-leading nine rebounds to lead Iowa to its first Big Ten victory of the season. She shot an impressive .750 from the field (9-for-12) and added two blocks and a pair of steals.
• Gustafson was also named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 14.  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.

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. 

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). 

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 337-197 (.631) overall record and a 165-111 Big Ten record at Iowa. In her 32 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 693-339 (.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 (164) 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 164 conference victories.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a matchup with Ohio State on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. (CT). The game will air live on BTN.