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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s basketball returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, hosting Wisconsin at 2 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for youth (18 & younger), and free for UI students.
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
The contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus. 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.
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 is in 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.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Iowa has defeated eight teams — Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Iowa State, UNI, Drake, Ohio State, and Michigan State — 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.
PINK GAME
Sunday is the annual Pink Game. The Hawkeyes will honor six Breast Cancer survivors during the game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink.
Fans will receive pink pom poms while supplies last.
Two collectable trading cards – featuring Hannah Stewart and Herky the Hawk – will be available at the promotions tables while supplies last.
APPROACHING (MORE) HISTORY
Junior Megan Gustafson needs 26 points to tie the Iowa’s program record for points in a single season. Cindy Haugejorde set the current record of 672 points in 1979-80.
Gustafson has 646 points this season — a program record for points in a junior season.
Gustafson needs 10 rebounds to tie her own program record for rebounds in a single season. Gustafson registered 343 rebounds last season. She has 333 boards this year.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Junior Megan Gustafson registered the 51st double-double of her career with 25 points and 16 rebounds against Northwestern on Feb. 11. Gustafson broke the program record (men or women) with her 49th career double-double (25 points, 15 rebounds) against Minnesota on Feb. 4.
Gustafson surpassed former Iowa men’s basketball player Kevin Kunnert’s career total of 48 set in 1971-73.
The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has 24 double-doubles this season — the second most in the NCAA. She has registered a double-double in 29 of her last 34 games.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin enters Sunday’s contest with a 9-18 overall record and a 2-12 mark in conference action.
The Badgers have lost their last four contests (vs. Minnesota, vs. Ohio State, at Nebraska, vs. Rutgers).
Wisconsin has registered conference wins over Northwestern (58-46) and Illinois (70-61).
The Badgers are 2-8 when playing on the road this season, and 1-7 on the road in Big Ten action.
Cayla McMorris leads the team, averaging 13.3 points per game. Marsha Howard is also averaging double figures with 11.9 points per game.
Howard leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.1 per contest.
THE SERIES
Iowa leads the all-time series, 48-20.
The Hawkeyes have won the last 18 meetings, dating back to 2006-07.
Iowa defeated Wisconsin, 56-46, in its Big Ten opener on Dec. 28.
Junior Megan Gustafson led the team with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Chase Coley (14 points) and redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian (11 points) also scored in double figures. Makenzie Meyer did not play in the contest as she suffered a broken bone in her left hand on Dec. 27.
20-WIN CLUB
Iowa collected win No. 20 with a 70-61 victory over Northwestern on Feb. 11.
The Hawkeyes have registered 20 or more wins nine times in the last 11 seasons.
Iowa has registered 11, 20-win seasons under head coach Lisa Bluder.
IOWA WINS 4TH STRAIGHT AGAINST NORTHWESTERN
Iowa improved to 20-6 overall and 8-5 in Big Ten play with a 70-61 win over Northwestern on Feb. 11.
The Hawkeyes shot 57 percent from the field and led for more than 37 minutes of the contest.
Junior Megan Gustafson led the team with 25 points and 16 rebounds. She was 10-for-12 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
Sophomores Kathleen Doyle (15 points, six assists, four steals), and Makenzie Meyer (12 points) also scored in double figures. Meyer was 5-of-8 from the field with a pair of 3-point field goals.
Junior Hannah Stewart logged 20 minutes and scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. She also registered three steals.
GUSTAFSON ADDS TO B1G RECORD WITH 8TH PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Junior Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. It marked Gustafson’s eighth Player of the Week award of the season — a Big Ten single-season record.
Gustafson broke the Big Ten single-season record with her seventh Big Ten Player of the Week award on Feb. 12. Gustafson broke Jantel Lavender’s (Ohio State) previous record of six (2010-11).
Gustafson has been honored by the Big Ten Conference in 13 of the first 14 weeks of the season (8x Player of the Week, 5x Honor Roll).
Gustafson averaged 29.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and shot 74.2 percent from the field and 92.3 percent from the free throw line in a pair of Big Ten wins last week.
A PERFECT FEBRUARY
Iowa is a perfect 4-0 in the month of February.
The Hawkeyes have registered four straight wins over Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern.
Junior Megan Gustafson is averaging 29.8 points and 15.5 rebounds per game in the month of February, while senior Chase Coley is averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 boards per game.
Sophomore Kathleen Doyle is also averaging double figures in scoring (10.3) and dishing out 7.0 assists per game.
B1G TIME
Junior Megan Gustafson is averaging 27.5 points and 13.3 rebounds in Big Ten play. The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native is shooting 63.3 percent from the field and 85.6 percent from the free throw line.
Sophomore Kathleen Doyle has dished out 99 assists (7.6 per game) in conference play. She is averaging 13.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in Big Ten play.
DOYLE HEATS UP
Sophomore Kathleen Doyle has scored in double figures in six of her last seven games. She has registered eight or more assists three times.
Doyle has two double-doubles (Ohio State, Michigan State) in her last seven contests (Ohio State, Michigan State).
The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native has registered the first four double-doubles of her career in Big Ten play this season.
A B1G NIGHT
Iowa post players — Megan Gustafson, Chase Coley, and Hannah Stewart — combined for 65 points in Iowa’s win over Penn State on Feb. 8.
The trio shot 74 percent (26-for-35) from the field in the win.
Coley registered a career-high 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field.
Gustafson netted 33 points (13-for-19), 14 rebounds, and a career-high seven assists.
Stewart record eight points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
600-POINT CLUB
For the second straight year, junior Megan Gustafson has surpassed 600 points in a single season. Gustafson has 646 points on the year.
Gustafson is the fourth Hawkeye in program history to accomplish the feat and the only Hawkeye to ever reach the mark twice.
The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native broke Iowa’s record for rebounds in a junior season with 17 boards against Michigan State on Feb. 1.
Gustafson now has 333 rebounds on the year. Kachine Alexander set the previous record of 281 in 2009-10.
Gustafson broke the record for points in a junior season with 25 points against Minnesota on Feb. 4. Gustafson has 646 points this season. Ally Disterhoft set the previous record of 565 in 2015-16.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As of Feb. 16, junior Megan Gustafson is the only player in the country averaging 24 or more points and 12 or more rebounds per game.
Gustafson is also the only player in the nation averaging 24 or more points and shooting at least 60 percent from the field.
Kathleen Doyle ranks 15 nationally in assists per game (6.5) and 16th in assists per game (156).
Gustafson currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in nine statistical categories. She leads the nation in points per game (24.8) and field goals made (251), ranks second in double-doubles (24), third in field goal percentage (66.2), total points (646), and rebounds (333), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (9) and rebounds per game (12.8), and ninth in free throws made (144).
The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top-15 in eight categories. Iowa ranks third nationally in assists (562) and assists per game (21.6), fourth in defensive rebounds per game (31), seventh in field goal percentage (48.7), eighth in fewest fouls per game (13.2), 14th in rebounds (1,109), and free throw percentage (76.7), and 15th in blocked shots (142).
GIVE THE ASSIST TO DOYLE
Sophomore Kathleen Doyle is averaging 7.6 assists in Big Ten action.
The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native registered the first four double-doubles of her career in conference play. She registered back-to-back double-doubles against Maryland and Illinois, before recording her third against Ohio State on Jan. 25 and her fourth at Michigan State on Feb. 1.
Doyle has registered 10 or more assists in five of her last 11 games (11 at Maryland, 10 at Illinois, 10 vs. Purdue, 11 vs. Ohio State, 11 vs. Michigan State).
CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
Junior Megan Gustafson’s 1,626 career points ranks eighth all-time. She needs 116 points to tie former Hawkeye Toni Foster (1,606; 89-93) for seventh.
Gustafson has 901 rebounds in her career. She currently ranks fourth all-time. She is nine rebounds shy of tying Kachine Alexander (910; 08-11) for third all-time.
STEWART MAKES AN IMPACT
Junior Hannah Stewart is averaging 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
The Minot, North Dakota, native registered 12 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 17 minutes of action off the bench at Minnesota.
Stewart has registered five or more rebounds in 13 games so far this season.
COLEY’S TURNAROUND
After scoring in double figures once last season, senior Chase Coley has scored 10 or more points in nine contests this season.
The Minneapolis native has scored eight or more points 18 times, and has registered four or more rebounds on 21 occasions.
Coley netted a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field in Iowa’s win over Penn State.
Coley registered 12 points and 11 boards to collect the seventh double-double of her career against Ohio State on Jan. 25. It marked her first double-double since March 3, 2016 (20 points, 10 boards vs. Michigan).
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD LATE SEASON TOP 20
Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 List on Feb. 5.
Players on the list are considered strong candidates for the most prestigious national player of the year honor.
All 20 student-athletes on the Late Season Top-20 list appeared on the Midseason Top-25. Gustafson is one of three student-athletes from the Big Ten included on the list.
The National Ballot, which features 15 players, will be announced in early March. Voting begins at the end of the season, and voters, consisting of members of the national college basketball media, will take into account the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO LISA LESLIE CENTER AWARD TOP-10 LIST
Junior Megan Gustafson was named a top-10 candidate for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association on Feb. 2.
The inaugural award recognizes the nation’s top center.
The winner of the 2018 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be announced during ESPN2’s telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, on March 30.
Gustafson is one of two Big Ten student-athletes included on the list (Hallie Thome, Michigan).
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY LATE SEASON TEAM
Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Feb. 12. The award honors the nation’s top player.
The list will be trimmed to 10 national semifinalists on Feb. 26. Four finalists will be revealed on March 14. The Citizen Naismith Trophy winner will be announced on March 31.
Gustafson is one of four Big Ten student-athletes included on the list (Kelsey Mitchell, Katelynn Flaherty, Kaila Charles).
UP NEXT
Iowa travels to Piscataway, New Jersey, for its final road contest of the year against Rutgers on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
