Iowa Hosts Northwestern in Annual Pink Game on Thursday

24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — Feb. 2017 | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store – https://hawkeyefanshop.com/?utm_source=HawkeyeSports&utm_medium=HawkeyeSports&utm_campaign=HawkeyeSports | Game 26 Notes

THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, hosting Northwestern at 7 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $12 for adults and free for youth (18 & younger) and UI students. 

PINK GAME

• Thursday is the annual Pink Game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
• Half of all full-price ticket proceeds will be donated to the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
• The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive Iowa Women’s Basketball trading cards. 

WATCH/LISTEN

• Thursday’s contest will air live on BTN. Mike Wolf (PBP) and Brenda VanLengen (Analyst) 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.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

• Northwestern enters Thursday’s contest with a 17-8 overall record and a 6-6 mark in Big Ten Conference action. 
• The Wildcats and Hawkeyes are tied for sixth in the conference at 6-6. 
• Senior forward Nia Coffey leads the team, averaging 19.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Senior guards Christen Inman (12.5) and Ashley Deary (10.9) are also averaging double figures. 
• Coffey ranks third in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (9), 12th in free throw attempts (184) and rebounds per game (11.0), 15th in free throws made (129), 16th in double-doubles (13), and 19th in rebounds (253). 
• Deary ranks fourth nationally in steals (97) and steals per game (3.88). She also ranks 13th in assists (163) and 14th in assists per game (6.5). 

THE SERIES

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 52-14. 
• The Hawkeyes won the lone meeting between the two teams last season. Iowa defeated Northwestern, 79-64, in Evanston, Illinois. Chase Coley led the team with 19 points, while Megan Gustafson registered a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ally Disterhoft also scored in double digits for the Hawkeyes (18 points). 
• Iowa has won the last six meetings dating back to 2013. 

MS. 2,000

• Senior Ally Disterhoft has 1,957 career points and is 43 points from reaching the 2,000-point milestone. 
• Only one other Hawkeyes has surpassed 2,000 points in a career (Cindy Haugejord, 2,059). 
• Disterhoft currently ranks second on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. Cindy Haugejorde owns the current record with 2,059. 

APPROACHING HISTORY

• Head coach Lisa Bluder has 694 career wins and is just six 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 338 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. 

MEYER, DISTERHOFT GARNER B1G WEEKLY HONORS

• Freshman Makenzie Meyer and senior Ally Disterhoft earned Big Ten weekly accolades, the conference office announced Monday. Meyer was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, while Disterhoft earned Player of the Week Honor Roll plaudits. 
• Meyer shot .700 (7-of-10) from the field and .750 (3-for-4) from 3-point range in a pair of conference contests last week to earn the first Big Ten weekly award of her career. 
• The Mason City, Iowa, native set career highs in points (14), free throws made (12), and free throws attempted (14) in Iowa’s overtime win against Michigan State on Feb. 9. Meyer made 11 of her 14 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime period to seal the win for the Hawkeyes.
• Three days later, Meyer set her second career high in as many games with 16 points at No. 13 Ohio State. Meyer was 6-of-7 (.857) from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. 
• Disterhoft averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last week to earn her fourth Big Ten Honor Roll accolade. She shot .556 (15-of-27) from the field and .625 (5-of-8) from 3-point range in a combined 80 minutes of action. 
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native registered her second double-double of the season with a team-high 25 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds to guide the Hawkeyes to an overtime win against Michigan State. 
• In a road contest at No. 13 Ohio State, Disterhoft scored a team-high 22 points and pulled down seven boards. 

MEYER HAS CAREER DAY… AGAIN

• Freshman Makenzie Meyer netted a then-career-high 14 points in Iowa’s win over Michigan State on Feb. 9. Three days later, Meyer registered her second career high in as many games with 16 points at Ohio State. 
• The Mason City, Iowa, native also set career bests in free throws made (12) and free throws attempted against Michigan State. Eleven of her 14 free throws came in the fourth quarter and overtime period.  
• Meyer was 6-for-7 from the field at No. 13 Ohio State on Feb. 12. She was also a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. 

IOWA WINS OT THRILLER

• Iowa  defeated Michigan State, 87-83, in overtime Thursday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• In Iowa’s first game without starting point guard Tania Davis, five Hawkeyes scored in double figures. Senior Ally Disterhoft led the team with 25 points, while sophomore Megan Gustafson (18), freshmen Makenzie Meyer (14) and Kathleen Doyle (12), and junior Chase Coley (10) also reached double digits.
• Disterhoft registered her second double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds. 
• Disterhoft was 3-of-5 from 3-point range and finished just four point shy of tying her career-high of 29 (Oral Roberts, 11/11/16). 
• Meyer’s 14 points marked a then-career high. The freshman also registered career highs in free throws made (12) and free throws attempted (14). 
• Iowa made 7-of-16 3-point field goals –its best percentage from distance in 14 games. 

IT WAS FOR FREE, SO WE SAID SURE

• Iowa made a season-high 32 free throws in its overtime win against Michigan State on Thursday. The Hawkeyes were 32-of-41 (.780) from the charity stripe. 
• The Hawkeyes netted 20-of-24 (.833) free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime period. Freshman Makenzie Meyer made 11 of Iowa’s 20 free throws during the stretch. 

DISTERHOFT NAMED COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT

• Senior Ally Disterhoft earned her third consecutive CoSIDA Academic All-District honor, the College of Sports Information Directors of America announced Feb. 9. 
• Disterhoft, the 2015-16 Academic All-American of the Year, garnered first-team Academic All-America honors in each of the past two seasons, and was the only sophomore to receive the honor in 2015. 
• The finance and accounting major will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first, second, and third team All-America honorees will be selected later this month. 

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 occurred in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s Feb. 5 contest at Michigan. 
• Davis, a native of Flint, Michigan, started 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. 

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 23-of-25 games. 
• Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 11 times this year, while Disterhoft has accomplished the feat seven times. Both Hawkeyes have scored 20 or more points in games against Oral Roberts, James Madison, Drake, and Rutgers. 
• Gustafson and Disterhoft combined for 43 of Iowa’s 87 total points in a win over Michigan State on Feb. 9. The pair also combined for 18 rebounds. 
• Together, the pair averages 34.4 points 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 a double-double. 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. 

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 243 of Iowa’s 442 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 12 conference games this season, Doyle is averaging 10.8  points, 4.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. She’s shooting .409 (47-of-115) from the field and .316 (12-of-38) from behind the arc. 

MOVIN’ ON UP 

• Senior Ally Disterhoft now ranks second on Iowa’s all-time career scoring list. 
• Disterhoft has 1,957 career points and is 102 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 (154), 13th in career blocks (64), and 11th in rebounds (752). 

UNSELFISH BASKETBALL 

• The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in assists per game (17.0)  
• Iowa also ranks third in the conference and 17th in the NCAA in total assists (442).
• Seven Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists on the season. Freshman Kathleen Doyle leads the team with 99. She is joined by sophomore Tania Davis (98), senior Ally Disterhoft (65), freshmen Makenzie Meyer (46) and Bre Cera (31), junior Chase Coley (27) and senior Alexa Kastanek (25). 
• 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 48 steals on the season. She is nine steals away from tying Iowa’s program record for steals in a freshman season (57, Johanna Solverson, 02-03). 
• The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native is tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference, averaging 1.9 steals per game. 
• Doyle’s 1.9 steals per game average is the highest among all Big Ten freshmen. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Sophomore Megan Gustafson registered the 22nd double-double of her career at No. 13 Ohio State on Feb. 12. It was her 13th double-double of the season.
• Gustafson is one of 24 NCAA student-athletes to record 13 or more double-doubles this season. 
• Gustafson has led Iowa in boards in 22-of-25 games this season. 
• Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 10 times this year. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage (.641), 16th in double-doubles (13), 19th in field goals made (182), 28th in rebounds (242), and 36th in rebounds per game (9.7). 

FAST FACTS 

• The Hawkeyes are 13-2 when leading at the half. 
• Iowa is 15-4 when scoring 70 points or more. 
• Iowa is ranked ninth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .473 on the season. 
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson is one of 24 student-athletes to record 13 or more double-doubles on the season. 
• The Hawkeyes rank 16th nationally in total attendance (68,118) and 18th in attendance average (4,541). 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 15 (Feb. 13) Associated Press Top 25. They include: No. 2 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 20 Michigan. 
• Maryland (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 12), and Michigan (No. 20) are also included in the week 15 USA TODAY Coaches Poll (Feb. 14). Northwestern (2) is receiving votes. 

CALL ON ME

• Senior Ally Disterhoft has netted double figures in 101 of her 109 career starts, including 56 of her last 58 games. 
• The Iowa City, Iowa, native has started 109 consecutive games and appeared in every game of her Hawkeye career (127). 
• Disterhoft has 1,957 career points and is 102 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 seven games this season. 

HISTORICALLY GOOD DEFENSE

• Iowa currently ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.301). 
• 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. 

AROUND THE NATION

• Iowa is ranked ninth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .473 on the season. 
• The Hawkeyes rank 13th nationally, averaging 17.7 assists per game. 
• Iowa’s 442 total assists rank 17th nationally. 
• The Hawkeyes also rank 20th in scoring offense (76.7).
• Sophomore Megan Gustafson ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage (.641), 16th in double-doubles (13), 19th in field goals made (182), 28th in rebounds (242), and 36th in rebounds per game (9.7). 

AROUND THE LEAGUE 

• Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 17.7 assists per game. 
• The Hawkeyes also rank second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.301), third in field goal percentage (.473), fourth in free throw percentage (.727) and fifth in scoring offense (76.7), scoring margin (+8.5), and defensive rebounds (28.5). 
• Two Hawkeyes rank within the top-10 in field goal percentage. They include: Megan Gustafson (.641; 4th) and Ally Disterhoft (.525; 9th). 
• Gustafson ranks second in double-doubles (13), third in offensive rebounds (3.4), fourth in field goal percentage (.641), and fifth in rebounding (9.7). 
• Freshman Kathleen Doyle tied for sixth in the conference in steals per game (1.9), 12th in assist to turnover ratio (1.8) and 14th in assists (4.0). 
• Disterhoft ranks ninth in field goal percentage (.525) and 13th in scoring (16.6). 

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 338-197 (.632) overall record and a 166-111 Big Ten record at Iowa. In her 32 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 694-339 (.672).
• 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 (166) 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 166 conference victories.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a contest against Purdue on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. (CT). The game will air live on BTN.