Iowa Travels to Western Kentucky on Tuesday

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THIS WEEK 

The 13th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for a matchup against Western Kentucky on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. (CT). 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• The game will be streamed live on ESPN3. Links to the broadcast are available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com. 
• Live stats are 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 third 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 third 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.

NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

• The Hawkeyes will face three nonconference teams who made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including Drake, Western Kentucky, and defending National Champions Notre Dame. 
• Iowa has a potential fourth match-up against Florida State at the Junkanoo Jam. 

NATIONAL RANKINGS 

• Iowa is ranked No. 13 in this week’s AP Poll and No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. 
• The Hawkeyes are one of five conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AP Poll. No. 9 Maryland and No. 25 Minnesota are also ranked in the top-25, while Northwestern (15) and Michigan (3) are receiving votes. 
• The No. 13 position is Iowa’s highest ranking since Feb. 16, 2016 (13th). 

TICKETS 

• Season tickets are still available for purchase. Tickets are $100 for adults, $80 for seniors and UI faculty/staff, and $25 for youth (18 & younger). For more information, visit hawkeyesports.com/ tickets.
• Single-game tickets are also available for purchase. Tickets may be ordered online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets, in person at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS.

SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY

• Western Kentucky enters Tuesday’s matchup with an 0-2 record after losses to No. 5/4 Louisville (102-80) and at Oklahoma (90-83). 
• Last season, Western Kentucky finished 24-9 overall and 12-4 in C-USA action. 
• Last year, the Lady Toppers won the C-USA tournament for the second time in as many years to earn the program’s 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. 
• Western Kentucky has won their conference tournament in three of the last four years. 
• The Lady Toppers scored 80 or more points in each of their last two contests. 
• Four Lady Toppers are averaging double figures in scoring. Dee Givens leads the team with 19.5 points per game. Alexis Brewer (14.5), Raneem Elgedawy (14.0), and Arame Niang (12.0) are also averaging double figures. 
• Elgedawy leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. 
• The Lady Toppers are led by first year head coach Greg Collins. He is in his seventh season on the Western Kentucky coaching staff. 

THE SERIES

• Iowa owns a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series. 
• Tuesday will be the first meeting in Bowling Green since 1996-97. 
• The teams met on Nov. 11, 2017 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won, 104-97, in overtime. 
• Megan Gustafson led all scorers with 35 points in the last meeting between the two teams. She pulled down 17 boards and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Tania Davis (16), Kathleen Doyle (15), Makenzie Meyer (12), and Alexis Sevillian (11) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes. 

GUSTAFSON TABBED B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. 
• It is the 11th Player of the Week honor of her career. 
• Gustafson led the Hawkeyes in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks in their season-opening win over Oral Roberts on Nov. 9. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native registered 23 points, 17 rebounds (seven offensive), six assists, four blocks, and zero turnovers in 32 minutes of action. 
• Gustafson broke a Big Ten single-season record last year, winning nine Player of the Week honors. She was also named to the conference’s honor roll six times. 

IOWA WINS 19TH STRAIGHT SEASON OPENER

• Iowa defeated Oral Roberts, 90-77, in the 2018-19 season opener on Nov. 9. It is the 19th straight season-opening victory for the Hawkeyes. 
• Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures, including Megan Gustafson (23), Hannah Stewart (19), Alexis Sevillian (18), and Makenzie Meyer (13). Tania Davis chipped in nine. 
• Gustafson led the team in points (23), rebounds (17), assists (6), and blocks (4). 
• Stewart, a senior, made her first career start. She registered career bests in points (19), field goals made (7), field goals attempted (12), free throws made (5), free throws attempted (6), and minutes played (26). 
• The Hawkeyes shot 55 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range. 

SHARING IS CARING

• The Hawkeyes tallied 22 assists in their season-opening win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 9. 
• Five Hawkeyes registered three or more assists in the contest, including Megan Gustafson (6), Hannah Stewart (4), Makenzie Meyer (3), Alexis Sevillian (3), and Tania Davis (3). 
• Gustafson led the team with six — one shy of tying her career high.
• Iowa’s post players (Stewart, Gustafson, and Monika Czinano) registered 11 of the team’s 22 total assists. 

STEWART SHINES IN FIRST CAREER START 

• Senior Hannah Stewart registered the first start of her career in Iowa’s season opener against Oral Roberts on Nov. 9. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native registered career bests in points (19), field goals made (7), field goals attempted (12), free throws made (5), free throws attempted (6), and minutes played (26). 
• Last season, Stewart appeared in all 32 games, averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench for the Hawkeyes. 

APPROACHING HISTORY 

• Senior Megan Gustafson is four rebounds shy of career rebound No. 1,000. 
• Gustafson’s 996 rebounds rank second all-time at Iowa. Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80) holds the rebounding record with 1,067. 
• Gustafson would become just the second Hawkeye in program history register 1,000+ rebounds. 
• Gustafson would become the seventh Big Ten student-athlete to register 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. 

GUSTAFSON TO WOODEN AWARD WATCH LIST

• Senior All-American Megan Gustafson was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-30 Watch List, ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPNW announced Nov. 6. 
• The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award. The list is chosen by a preseason poll of national women’s college basketball media members.

TANIA DAVIS: THE RETURN

• Senior Tania Davis returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 17, 2017. She scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range in Iowa’s season opener. 
• Davis averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 assists in 12 games before tearing her ACL last season. 
• The Flint, Michigan, native’s sophomore season was also cut short due to injury. In 23 games in 2016-17, Davis averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 assists. 

IN THE B1G RANKS

• Senior Megan Gustafson leads all Big Ten returners in career points (1,826) and career rebounds (996). 
• Junior Kathleen Doyle ranks fourth among active Big Ten student-athletes in career assists (347). 
• Senior Tania Davis ranks eighth on the assists list with 274. 

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Megan Gustafson has 1,826 career points. She needs 276 points to break Ally Disterhoft’s all-time career scoring mark of 2,102 set in 2017. 
• Gustafson has 996 career rebounds. She needs 71 rebounds to break Cindy Haugejorde’s career rebounding record of 1,067 set in 1980. 
• Gustafson is four rebounds shy of career rebound No. 1,000. Only Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80) has surpassed 1,000 career rebounds. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Megan Gustafson recorded her 56th career double-double with 23 points and 17 rebounds against Oral Roberts on Nov. 9.  
• Gustafson broke the program record (men or women) with her 49th career double-double (25 points, 15 rebounds) against Minnesota on Feb. 4, 2018. Gustafson surpassed former Iowa men’s basketball player Kevin Kunnert’s career total of 48 set in 1971-73. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native had 28 double-doubles last season — the second most in the NCAA. She has registered a double-double in 34 of her last 41 games. 

GUSTAFSON NAMED TO LISA LESLIE AWARD WATCH LIST

• Senior All-American Megan Gustafson has been named to the 2019 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Oct. 26. 
• Named after the three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its second year recognizes the top centers in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.

THE B1G THREE 

• The Hawkeyes are led by seniors Tania Davis, Megan Gustafson, and Hannah Stewart. 
• Together, the trio accounted for 1,174 of Iowa’s 2,518 total points (47 percent) and 594 of Iowa’s 1,351 rebounds (44 percent) last season. 

PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN

• Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, and junior Kathleen Doyle earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors, the conference office announced Oct. 22. 
• As a team, the Hawkeyes were picked to finish second in the Big Ten by the conference’s head coaches and media.
• Gustafson, the 2017-18 Big Ten Player of the Year (media), was a unanimous preseason All-Big Ten selection by the league media and coaches. The All-American led the NCAA in points per game (25.7), field goal percentage (67.1), and field goals made (320) last season. Gustafson became one of only two NCAA women’s basketball players in the last 10 years to average 24 or more points and 12 or more rebounds (Chiney Ogwumike, 2014).
• Doyle, a 2017-18 second team All-Big Ten selection (coaches), earns the first preseason honor of her career. The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native finished last season ranked 12th nationally in assists per game (6.6) and 21st in total assists (199). The junior led the Big Ten with 7.5 assists per game in conference action last season. She scored in double figures 17 times, and dished out six or more assists on 22 occasions.

DOYLE SIDELINED WITH LEFT HAND FRACTURE 

• Junior guard Kathleen Doyle suffered a third and fourth metacarpal fracture in her left (non-shooting) hand in practice on Nov. 2. 
• Doyle is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
• A native of LaGrange Park, Illinois, Doyle averaged 11.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 30 games last season. The Preseason All-Big Ten selection ranked 12th nationally in assists per game. She led the Big Ten with 7.5 assists per game in conference action last season.

MEET THE CAPTAINS 

• For the second straight year, senior Hannah Stewart and junior Kathleen Doyle have been named captains by their teammates. 
• Stewart shot a career-best 49.3 percent from the field in her junior campaign. 
• Doyle, a second team All-Big Ten selection, returns for her junior season after leading the Big Ten with 7.5 assists per game in conference play. 

ALL-AMERICAN MEGAN GUSTAFSON 

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named an All-American by seven different media outlets last season. They include: Sports Illustrated (first team), the Associated Press (second team), USBWA (second team), College Sports Madness (second team), USA Today (second team), ESPNW (third team), and WBCA (honorable mention).
• Gustafson became the fifth Hawkeye in program history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors. She is the first Hawkeye to win the award since Tangela Smith in 1998. 
• Gustafson led the nation in points per game (25.7), field goal percentage (67.1), and field goals made (320). 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native finished the year ranked in the top-nine nationally in nine statistical categories. She led the nation in points per game (25.7), field goal percentage (67.1), and field goals made (320), ranked third in double-double (28) and total points (823), fourth in defensive rebounds per game (9), fifth in rebounds per game (12.8), sixth in total rebounds (411), and ninth in free throws made (183).
• Gustafson was one of only two NCAA women’s basketball players in the last 10 years to average 24 or more points and 12 or more rebounds (Chiney Ogwumike, 2014).

UP NEXT 

Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Nov. 17 for a matchup against North Carolina Central. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for youth (18 & younger), and free for UI students. The Hawkeyes will sign autographs following the game.