No. 14 Iowa, No. 1 Notre Dame Meet Thursday in ACC/B1G Challenge

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THIS WEEK 

The 14th-ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to South Bend, Indiana, for an ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup with No. 1 Notre Dame on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Thursday contest will air live on ESPN2. Eric Frede and Debbie Antonelli are on the call from Purcell Pavilion. 
• The game can also be streamed on WatchESPN. 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 face four nonconference teams who made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including Drake, Western Kentucky, Florida State, and defending National Champions Notre Dame. 

NATIONAL RANKINGS 

• Iowa is ranked No. 14 in this week’s AP Poll and No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. 
• The Hawkeyes are one of five conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. No. 7 Maryland and No. 20 Minnesota are also ranked within the top-25, while Northwestern (59) and Michigan (10) are receiving votes. 
• Three of Iowa’s four DI schools are ranked in this week’s AP Poll. Iowa leads the charge at No. 14, while Iowa State is ranked No. 23 and Drake is No. 24. 

IOWA VS. ACC

• Iowa is 3-8 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Iowa fell to No. 13 Florida State, 94-93, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season.
• The Hawkeyes are 16-11 all-time against ACC opponents.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME

• Notre Dame is 6-0 on the season with wins over Harvard, Penn, No. 15 DePaul, Gonzaga, Drake, and No. 9 Oregon State. 
• The defending National Champions are the top-ranked team in both major polls. 
• Notre Dame returns four of five starters from last season. 
• The Fighting Irish average 88.8 points per game and are holding their opponents to 66.7 points per contest. 
• Senior guard Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 24.5 points per game. Senior forward Jessica Shepard (18.4), junior guard Jackie Young (18.3), and graduate student forward Brianna Turner (14.0) are also averaging double figures in scoring. 
• Shepard leads the Fighting Irish on the glass, averaging 11.2 rebounds per game. 

THE SERIES 

• Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 3-0. 
• The team’s last met in the 2016-17 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. No. 1 Notre Dame defeated Iowa, 73-58, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• Thursday marks the first meeting in Purcell Pavilion. 
• Iowa has not defeated a top-ranked team since 1987. The Hawkeyes defeated No. 1 Texas, 75-65, on Dec. 30, 1987 in the Burger King/Orange Bowl Classic in Miami, Florida. 

CALL IT A COMEBACK

• The Hawkeyes trailed by 24 points with 2:10 remaining in the first half before coming back to defeat No. 25/20 West Virginia, 84-81, on Nov. 23.
• It marked the largest comeback in Big Ten Conference history, besting the previous mark of 21 (Nebraska vs. Creighton on Dec. 6, 2015). 
• It also ties for the fifth-largest comeback in Division I history. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson scored 17 of her 28 total points in the fourth quarter. She shot 8-for-9 from the field and pulled down six rebounds over the final 10 minutes. 

SHARING IS CARING 

• The Hawkeyes set a new school assist records in back-to-back games against Western Kentucky and North Carolina Central. 
• Iowa dished out 34 assists against Western Kentucky on Nov. 13, before besting that mark with 36 against North Carolina Central on Nov. 17. 
• Through five games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 25.0 assists per contest. The mark ranks first nationally. 
• Five Hawkeyes have dished out 12 or more assists this season. Junior Makenzie Meyer leads the team with 27 (5.4 per game). 

IT WAS FOR FREE! SO I SAID “SURE”

• The Hawkeyes are shooting 77.9 percent from the free throw line this season — a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten Conference and 22nd nationally. 
• Senior Tania Davis made a career-high 13-of-14 free throws in Iowa’s 24-point comeback win against No. 25/20 West Virginia on Nov. 24. 
• The Hawkeyes made 27 free throws in 32 attempts (84.4 percent) against the Mountaineers. 

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE 

• Through five games this season, Iowa is averaging 90.2 points per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally. 
• Iowa’s 56.0 field goal percentage ranks second in the NCAA. 
• The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten, shooting 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The mark ranks 15th nationally. 
• Iowa scored 106 points in its win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 17. It marked the second-highest point total in program history. 
• Iowa’s 67-point margin of victory (106-39) against North Carolina Centralmarked the largest scoring margin for the Hawkeyes since 1992-93. 
• Five Hawkeyes are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior Megan Gustafson leads the team with 23.2 points per game. Junior Makenzie Meyer (15.0), senior Hannah Stewart (13.4), senior Tania Davis (12.0), and redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian (10.8) are also averaging double figures. 

THE B1G DUO 

• Seniors Hannah Stewart and Megan Gustafson have dominated down low for the Hawkeyes this season. 
• Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 36.6 points per game.
• The duo has 183 points, 98 rebounds, 31 assists, 13 blocks, and nine steals this season. They are shooting 68.6 percent (83-for-121) from the field. 

NOT 1, NOT 2, BUT 3 

• For the third straight week, senior Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
• It is the 13th Player of the Week honor of her career. 
• Gustafson averaged 22.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and shot 80.0 percent from the field in two games last week. 
• She led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten record-breaking comeback against No. 25/20 West Virginia on Nov. 23, registering 28 points, 16 rebounds, and shooting 70.6 percent from the field against the Mountaineers. She scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds in the fourth quarter to help Iowa complete the 24-point comeback.
• On Nov. 24, Gustafson was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field against Florida State. It marked her second perfect shooting performance this season (13-for-13 vs. Western Kentucky). 
• 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. 

TANIA DAVIS: THE RETURN

• Senior Tania Davis returned to the starting lineup in Iowa’s season opener for the first time since Dec. 17, 2017. 
• Through five games this season, Davis is averaging 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. She’s shooting 90.0 percent from the free throw line. 
• The Flint, Michigan, native made a career-best 13 free throws (13-for-14) in Iowa’s win over No. 25/20 West Virginia. She scored 15 points and dished out three assists in the victory. 
• Davis led the team with 22 points and six assists against Florida State on Nov. 24. 
• Davis averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 assists in 12 games before tearing her ACL in 2017-18.  
• 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. 

1,000 REBOUNDS CLUB

• Senior Megan Gustafson became just the second Hawkeye in program history to register 1,000 career rebounds. 
• She joins career rebounding record holder Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80). 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native needs 26 rebounds to break Haugejorde’s record of 1,067. 
• Gustafson needs 81 points to became the third Hawkeye in program history to scorel 2,000 points in her career. 
• Gustafson has the chance to become just the seventh Big Ten student-athlete to register 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.  

STEWART COMES UP B1G

• Senior Hannah Stewart has started all five games for the Hawkeyes this season — the first five starts of her career. 
• In five games, Stewart is averaging 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 14 or more points in four of Iowa’s five games this season. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Megan Gustafson recorded her 59th career double-double with 28 points and 16 rebounds against No. 25/20 West Virginia on Nov. 23. 
• 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 37 of her last 45 games. 

MAK ATTACK 

• Junior Makenzie Meyer is averaging 15.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in five games this season. 
• Meyer registered a career-best eight assists in back-to-back games against North Carolina Central and Western Kentucky. 
• The Mason City, Iowa, native tied career highs in points (21), assists (8), and 3-pointers made in Iowa’s win over Western Kentucky on Nov. 13.
• Meyer is shooting 42.9 percent (15-for-35) from 3-point range, the second-best 3-point shooting percentage in the conference. 

A RECORD-BREAKING WIN

• The Hawkeyes dished out a school-record 34 assists in their win against Western Kentucky on Nov. 13. Iowa bested the previous mark of 32 set at Northwestern on Jan. 29, 2015. 
• Iowa also broke the school record for field goal percentage in a single game. The Hawkeyes shot 68.9 percent from the field, besting the previous mark of 67.7 (Northwestern, 1/4/87). 
• Iowa’s 37-point win in Bowling Green was its largest road win since Jan. 15, 1988 (84-41 win at Minnesota). 
• Iowa’s 104 points marked a new Diddle Arena opponent record. The Hawkeyes were three points shy of tying the school record for points in a game (107, USC Upstate, 2014). 
• Senior Megan Gustafson set an Iowa and Big Ten Conference record by going 13-for-13 from the field against the Hilltoppers. 
• Gustafson surpassed the previous conference mark of 11-for-11 shared by Michigan State’s Cheri Euler (vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 15, 1997) and Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B. (vs. Purdue on Jan. 22, 2015).
• Gustafson became the first Hawkeye to register a perfect shooting percentage (min. 9 attempts) since Jamie Cavey went 9-for-9 against Marquette on March 23, 2003. 

ALL EYES ON GUSTAFSON

• 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.
• Gustafson was 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.

RECORD WATCH

• Senior Megan Gustafson has 1,919 career points. She needs 184 points to break Ally Disterhoft’s all-time career scoring mark of 2,102 set in 2017. 
• Gustafson moved up to No. 3 on Iowa’s all-time career scoring list with 16 points against Florida State. She surpassed Lindsey Meder’s mark of 1,906. 
• Gustafson has 1,042 career rebounds. She needs 26 rebounds to break Cindy Haugejorde’s career rebounding record of 1,067 set in 1980. 
• Gustafson registered career rebound No. 1,000 in Iowa’s win over Western Kentucky on Nov. 13. She is the second Hawkeye in program history to eclipse 1,000 career boards. 

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 as a junior. 
• 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. 

UP NEXT 

Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a four-game home stretch. The Hawkeyes take on Robert Morris on Sunday, before hosting Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series foe, Iowa State, on Wednesday, Dec. 5.