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THIS WEEK
The 21st-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts No. 21/19 Michigan in its Big Ten home opener on Dec. 31. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for youth (18 & younger), and free UI students.
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
- The contest will air live on BTN. Lisa Byington and Shelley Till will have the call from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Links are available on the Iowa women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Live stats are also available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
PROMOTIONS
- Sunday’s contest is a White Out. All fans are encouraged to wear white.
- Two collectable Iowa women’s basketball trading cards (Tania Davis and Alexis Sevillian) will be available at all entrances on the promotion tables while supplies last.
AUDIO COVERAGE
- Rob Brooks and Jamie Cavey Lang will call the action on the Hawkeye Radio Network. A link to the broadcast is available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Brooks is in his second year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline announcer since 2004. He has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television.
- Lang enters her second year as Iowa’s color commentator. She lettered at Iowa from 2002-05. Lang finished her Hawkeye career with 1,265 points and 506 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
IN THE POLLS
- Iowa moved up four spots to No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes also moved up two spots to No. 23 in this week’s AP Poll.
- The Hawkeyes entered both major polls on Dec. 11 (AP) and Dec. 12 (USA Today) at No. 25. It marked Iowa’s first time in the AP Poll since Dec. 7, 2015 (No. 23) and its first time in the Coaches Poll since Jan. 5, 2016 (No. 23). Iowa is ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since Dec. 7, 2015 (No. 23).
- Five other Big Ten teams are ranked or receiving votes in polls (AP/Coaches), including No. 12/11 Ohio State, No. 15/14 Maryland, No. 21/19 Michigan, RV/NR Rutgers, and RV/RV Michigan State.
FAST START
- Iowa is off to an 13-1 start for the first time since 2004-05 (13-1).
- A win on Sunday would mark Iowa’s best start since 1995-96 (20-1).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- Iowa has defeated six teams — Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Iowa State, UNI, and Drake — that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
- Eleven of Iowa’s opponents made the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Florida State, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue.
SCOUTING #21/19 MICHIGAN
- No. 21/19 Michigan enters Sunday’s contest with a 12-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Big Ten play.
- The Wolverines have won eight straight contests. They have reached 80 points five times in that span.
- Michigan defeated Penn State, 89-69, on Thursday night at the Crisler Center. The Wolverines used a 20-0 run in the first quarter to register its first Big Ten win of the season.
- Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty leads the Wolverines, averaging 22.7 points per game. She is shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range this season.
- Flaherty is ranked third nationally in total points (218), fifth in field goal percentage (65.5), seventh in points per game (22.7), and ninth in field goal attempts (235), field goals made (108), 3-point field goal attempts (115), and 3-point field goals made (45).
- Senior forward Jillian Dunston leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10.2 per game.
- Junior center Hallie Thome averages 16.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
- Thome ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage (65.5).
THE SERIES
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 48-17.
- The Hawkeyes have won seven of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2011-12.
- Michigan won the lone meeting between the two teams last season. The Wolverines edged the Hawkeyes, 72-70, in Ann Arbor.
FAST START LIFTS HAWKEYES TO 13TH WIN
- Iowa improved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in conference action with a 56-46 victory over Wisconsin on Thursday in Madison.
- Port Wing, Wisconsin, native Megan Gustafson led the team with 21 points and 16 rebounds. It marked her 13th double-double of the season and the 40th of her career.
- Iowa led 19-4 after 10 minutes. The Hawkeyes made 8-of-14 field goals and grabbed 15 rebounds in the first quarter.
- The Hawkeyes made 14-of-15 free throws. Gustafson was a perfect 11-for-11 from the line.
- Iowa dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Wisconsin, 49-29. Gustafson led the way with 16 while Ollinger pulled down eight.
AGAINST HER HOME STATE
- Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian has performed well against her home state this season.
- The Goodrich, Michigan, native registered 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists in 35 minutes against Western Michigan on Nov. 19.
- Sevillian has scored in double figures in 10 of Iowa’s 14 contests this season. She’s registered 3 or more 3-points in nine games.
DEFENSE STEPS UP
- The Hawkeyes have held their opponents to less than 60 points in five of their last six games.
- Iowa has held three of its last six opponents to less than 50 points (Arkansas-Pine Bluff, UNI, and Wisconsin).
- In its last six games, Iowa’s opponents averaged just 53.0 points per game.
- Iowa’s scoring defense of 63.1 points per game ranks sixth in the Big Ten Conference.
CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
- Junior Megan Gustafson’s 1,290 career points ranks 20th all-time. She needs 29 points to tie former Hawkeye Amy Herrig (1,319; 95-99) for 19th.
- Gustafson has 744 rebounds in her career. She currently ranks 13th all-time. She is one rebound shy of tying Randi Peterson (745; 97-01) for 12th.
STATE CHAMPS
- The Hawkeyes completed the state sweep with a 79-66 win over Drake on Dec. 21.
- It marked the first state sweep for the Hawkeyes since 2014-15.
- Iowa clinched two of the three in-state victories on the road. The Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State, 61-55, in Ames on Dec. 6, before downing UNI, 71-47, in Cedar Falls on Dec. 17.
POST PRODUCTION
- Junior Megan Gustafson and senior Chase Coley are ranked among the top-15 in the conference in field goal percentage.
- Gustafson leads the conference, shooting 67.9 percent from the field this season, while Coley ranks 1th (54.0).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
- Junior Megan Gustafson has 40 double-doubles in her Hawkeye career, including double-doubles in 18 of her last 22 games.
- Gustafson leads the nation with 13 double-doubles this season.
HAWKEYES END DROUGHT AT HILTON
- The Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State, 61-55, in Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 6, marking the team’s first win in Ames since 1989 (11 meetings).
- Sophomore Makenzie Meyer led the Hawkeyes with 18 points. The Mason City, Iowa, native went 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
- After being held to just two points in the first half, junior Megan Gustafson netted 14 points and pulled down seven boards in the second half to register her ninth double-double of the season (16 points, 14 rebounds). It marked the 36th double-double of her career.
- Junior Hannah Stewart registered a career-high 12 rebounds.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
- Three Hawkeyes average double figures in scoring this season, while seven are averaging seven or more.
- Four Hawkeyes average 4.8 or more rebounds per game, including Megan Gustafson (12.6), Hannah Stewart (5.8), Chase Coley (5.1) and Kathleen Doyle (4.8).
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 15 or more assists on the season.
GUSTAFSON EARNS 7TH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE HONOR
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. She has earned conference recognition in each of the first seven weeks of the season. The weekly award is the 13th of her career.
- Gustafson registered 27 points, 12 rebounds (5 offensive), four blocks, and two steals to guide Iowa to a win over in-state rival Drake on Dec. 21. She shot 64.7 (11-for-17) percent from the field and scored six or more points in every quarter to lead Iowa to its 12th win of the season. Gustafson notched her NCAA-leading 12th double-double of the season. She now has 39 double-doubles in her career.
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has now earned seven straight conference honors. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 13, Dec. 4, and Dec. 18 and was named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll on Nov. 20, Nov. 27, and Dec. 11.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
- Iowa leads the nation in two categories, including assists (322) and fewest fouls per game (11.3).
- The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top-15 in 11 categories. They include assists, fewest fouls, assists per game (2nd; 23.0), defensive rebounds per game (3rd; 33), rebounds (6th; 626), block shots (7th; 79), win/loss percentage (7th; 92.9), field goal percentage (7th; 50.5), assist/turnover ratio (12th; 1.48), field goal percentage defense (12th; 33.7), and fewest foul (15th; 158).
- Junior Megan Gustafson is currently ranked in the top-10 in the nation in eight categories. She leads the NCAA in double-doubles (13) and ranks second in field goals made (125), third in field goal percentage (67.9) and rebounds (176), fourth in total points (310), sixth in rebounds per game (12.6), seventh in defensive rebounds per game (8), and 10th in points per game (22.1).
STEWART MAKES AN IMPACT
- Junior Hannah Stewart is averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds off the bench for the Hawkeyes this season.
- Stewart has registered five or more rebounds in 10 games so far this season.
- The Minot, North Dakota, native netted a career-high 17 points (7-for-9) against Samford on Dec. 3.
- Stewart recorded a career-best 12 rebounds to help the Hawkeyes to their first win in Hilton since 1989.
- Stewart also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.6 per contest.
SHARING IS CARING
- Iowa leads the nation in assists (322) and ranks second in assists per game (23.0).
- The Hawkeyes have registered 23 assists or more in 10 of their 14 contests this season.
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 15 or more assists on the season.
SEVILLIAN STEPS IN
- Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian ranks second on the team, averaging 11.4 points per game.
- Sevillian has scored in double figures in 10 of Iowa’s 14 contests.
- The Goodrich, Michigan, native has netted 3-or-more 3-pointers nine times.
- Sevillian ranks third in the Big Ten and 52nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (48.8).
- Sevillian led the team in scoring with a career-best 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against Elon on Nov. 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Nov. 29. The award honors the nation’s top player.
- The list currently features 50 student-athletes. It will be trimmed to 30 on Feb. 12, 2018.
- Nine different conferences are represented on the list. Gustafson is one of eight Big Ten student-athletes included.
- Gustafson was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List on Nov. 9. She is one-of-20 student-athletes named to the list. The award honors the nation’s top power forward.
COLEY’S TURNAROUND
- After scoring in double figures once last season, senior Chase Coley has scored 10 or more points in five contests this season.
- Coley netted 20 points in Iowa’s win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 15 — her most points since scoring 20 against Michigan on March 3, 2016.
- The Minneapolis native has scored eight or more points nine times this season, and has registered four or more rebounds on nine occasions.
- Coley’s field goal percentage of 54.0 currently ranks 10th in the Big Ten Conference.
700 CLUB
- Head coach Lisa Bluder collected her 700th victory on Nov. 10 against Quinnipiac.
- Bluder is one-of-10 active Division I head coaches with 700 or more victories and one-of-29 women’s coaches to ever accomplish the feat. Bluder is one of 80 coaches (men or women) to win 700 or more contests.
- Bluder is in her 34th season as a head coach and her 18th at the helm of the Hawkeyes.
- In her 18 seasons in Iowa City, Bluder — Iowa’s all-time winningest coach — has accumulated 356 wins.
- Bluder has collected 10 20-win seasons as a Hawkeye.
UP NEXT
Iowa continues its Big Ten slate on Jan. 4, traveling to College Park, Maryland, for a matchup with the Terrapins. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on BTN.
