Iowa Hosts Wisconsin on Senior Day

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GAME #29: Wisconsin (8-20; 3-12) at IOWA (16-12; 7-8)
Date Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 | 2 p.m. (CT)
Location Iowa City, Iowa | Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400)
Tickets hawkeyesports.com/tickets
Radio | Listen Live Hawkeye Radio Network | Hawkeye All-Access
Television None
Live Stream BTN Plus
Live Stats StatBroadcast
Live Update @IowaWBB

THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Wisconsin in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children (18 & younger). UI students are free. 

SENIOR DAY

  • Sunday is Senior Day. Iowa’s three seniors — Alexa Kastanek, Ally Disterhoft, and Hailey Schneden — will be honored following the game. 
  • Bobbleheads of all three seniors will be given away prior to tipoff. 

WATCH/LISTEN

  • Sunday’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.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN

  • Wisconsin enters Sunday’s contest with an 8-20 overall record and a 3-12 mark in Big Ten Conference action. 
  • The Badgers are coming off of back-to-back wins over Rutgers (53-41) and Illinois (59-55). 
  • Junior guard Cayla McMorris leads the team, averaging 12.4 points per game. Senior forward Avyanna Young is also averaging double figures (10.8). 
  • Young leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.1 boards per game. 
  • The Badgers rank fifth in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (40.0) and sixth in total rebounds (1,120). Wisconsin also ranks fifth in the conference in free throw attempts (544) and ninth in free throws made (345). 
  • Freshman guard Suzanna Gilreath ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point field goal attempts (163) and eighth in 3-pointers made (55).  

THE SERIES

  • Iowa leads the all-time series, 46-20.
  • The Hawkeyes won the lone meeting between the two teams last season. Iowa defeated Wisconsin, 57-54, in Madison on Jan. 13. Disterhoft led the team with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. 
  • Iowa has won the last 16 meetings dating back to 2007. 

MS. 2,000

  • With 23 points at Indiana on Feb. 22, senior Ally Disterhoft surpassed the 2,000-point milestone. 
  • Disterhoft is just the second Hawkeye in program history to score 2,000 or more points in a career and the first to do so since Cindy Haugejorde in 1980. 
  • Disterhoft currently ranks second on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart with 2,003 points. Cindy Haugejorde owns the current record with 2,059. 

I’LL TAKE THAT, PLEASE

  • Freshman Kathleen Doyle leads the team with 56 steals on the season. She is one steal 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 2.0 steals per game. 
  • Doyle’s 2.0 steals per game average is the highest among all Big Ten freshmen. 

APPROACHING HISTORY

  • Head coach Lisa Bluder has 695 career wins and is just five 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 339 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. 

HOME SWEET HOME 

  • Iowa is 13-3 overall and 6-1 in conference action 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 .483 from the field and .352 from 3-point range in Carver. In true road contests, Iowa is shooting .440 from the field and .254 from distance.  
  • The Hawkeyes average 43.4 rebounds per game in home contests compared to 35.1 rebounds per game on the road. 

CAREER HIGHS IN BLOOMINGTON

  • Freshman Kathleen Doyle dished out a career-high eight assists in Iowa’s double-overtime loss at Indiana on Feb. 22. Doyle also tied a career high with four steals. 
  • In her first start of the season, senior Alexa Kastanek pulled down a career-best seven rebounds. She also added seven points and a pair of assists. 
  • Sophomore Megan Gustafson registered a season-high 18 rebounds against the Hoosiers — just one rebound shy of tying her career high (19, at Minnesota, 2/15/16). 

TOTAL-TEAM EFFORT LEADS HAWKEYES PAST WILDCATS

  • The Hawkeyes improved to 16-10 on the season and 7-6 in Big Ten action with a 78-59 win over Northwestern on Feb. 16 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
  • In her first start of the season, junior Chase Coley was one point shy of her seventh career double-double (9 points, 11 boards). 
  • Eight Hawkeyes scored five or more points, including a team-high 17 by sophomore Megan Gustafson. 
  • Six Hawkeyes registered five or more rebounds. Freshmen Kathleen Doyle and Amanda Ollinger set career-highs with seven and six rebounds, respectively. 

MEYER, DISTERHOFT GARNER B1G WEEKLY HONORS

  • Freshman Makenzie Meyer and senior Ally Disterhoft earned Big Ten weekly accolades, the conference office announced Feb. 13. 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 12 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 on Feb. 9 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.
  • 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 has netted double digits in 25-of-28 games. 
  • Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 12 times this year, while Disterhoft has accomplished the feat eight times. Both Hawkeyes have scored 20 or more points in games against Oral Roberts, James Madison, Drake, and Rutgers. 
  • Together, the pair averages 34.4 points per game.

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 15 conference games this season, Doyle is averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. 

MOVIN’ ON UP 

  • Senior Ally Disterhoft now ranks second on Iowa’s all-time career scoring list. 
  • Disterhoft has 2,003 career points and is 56 points from tying Iowa’s all-time scoring record of 2,059 set by Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80). 
  • Disterhoft also ranks eighth all-time in 3-point field goals (158), 12th in career blocks (66), and 11th in rebounds (763). 

UNSELFISH BASKETBALL 

  • The Hawkeyes rank third in the Big Ten and 14th nationally in assists per game (17.5)  
  • Iowa also ranks third in the conference and 14th in the NCAA in total assists (490).
  • Eight Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists on the season. Freshman Kathleen Doyle leads the team with 116. She is joined by sophomore Tania Davis (98), senior Ally Disterhoft (71), freshman Makenzie Meyer (49), junior Chase Coley (38), freshman Bre Cera (31), senior Alexa Kastanek (32), and sophomore Megan Gustafson (20).
  • Doyle dished out a career-high eight assists at Indiana on Feb. 22.  

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

  • Sophomore Megan Gustafson registered the 23rd double-double of her career at Indiana on Feb. 22 (19 points, 18 rebounds). It was her 14th double-double of the season.
  • Gustafson is one of 21 NCAA student-athletes to record 14 or more double-doubles this season. 
  • Gustafson has led Iowa in boards in 24-of-28 games this season. 
  • Gustafson has netted 20 or more points 12 times this year. 
  • The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage (.630), 15th in field goals made (206), 18th in double-doubles (14), 22nd in rebounds (277), and 26th in rebounds per game (9.9). 

FAST FACTS 

  • Iowa is ranked 13th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .466 on the season. 
  • Sophomore Megan Gustafson is one of 21 student-athletes to record 14 or more double-doubles on the season. 
  • The Hawkeyes rank 16th nationally in total attendance (72,285) and 18th in attendance average (4,518). 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 16 (Feb. 20) Associated Press Top 25. They include: No. 2 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 25 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 (4) and Northwestern (1) are receiving votes. 

HISTORICALLY GOOD DEFENSE

  • Iowa currently ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.303). 
  • 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. 

CALL ON ME

  • Senior Ally Disterhoft has netted double figures in 103 of her 112 career starts, including 58 of her last 61 games. 
  • The Iowa City, Iowa, native has started 112 consecutive games and appeared in every game of her Hawkeye career (130). 
  • Disterhoft has 2,003 career points and is 56 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 eight games this season. 

AROUND THE NATION

  • Iowa is ranked 13th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting .466 on the season. 
  • The Hawkeyes rank 14th nationally, averaging 17.5 assists per game. 
  • Iowa’s 490 total assists rank 14th nationally. 
  • The Hawkeyes also rank 24th in defensive rebounds per game (29), 25th in scoring offense (75.9), and 31st in free throws made (401). 
  • Sophomore Megan Gustafson ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage (.630), 15th in field goals made (206), 18th in double-doubles (14), 22nd in rebounds (277), and 26th in rebounds per game (9.9). 

AROUND THE LEAGUE 

  • Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten, averaging 17.5 assists per game. 
  • The Hawkeyes also rank second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.303), third in field goal percentage (.466), fourth in free throw percentage (.728) and defensive rebounds (28.9), and fifth in scoring offense (75.9). 
  • Two Hawkeyes rank within the top-10 in field goal percentage. They include: Megan Gustafson (.630; 4th) and Ally Disterhoft (.511; 9th). 
  • Gustafson ranks second in offensive rebounds (3.3) and double-doubles (14), third in rebounds (9.9), fourth in field goal percentage (.630) and defensive rebounds (6.6), and 11th in scoring (17.9). 
  • Freshman Kathleen Doyle is tied for sixth in the conference in steals per game (2.0), 11th in assist to turnover ratio (1.9) and ranks 13th in assists (4.1). 
  • Disterhoft ranks ninth in field goal percentage (.511) and 12th in scoring (16.5). 

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 339-200 (.629) overall record and a 167-114 Big Ten record at Iowa. In her 32 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 695-342 (.670).
  • 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 (167) 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 167 conference victories.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to the Big Ten Tournament next week. Big Ten Tournament action begins Wednesday, March 1, in Indianapolis.