Iowa Returns to Carver on Thursday

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THIS WEEK 

The No. 19/20 University of Iowa women’s basketball team returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, hosting Nebraska. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. (CT) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $12 for adults and free for youth (18 & younger) and UI students. 

FAMILY 4 PACK 

• Fans can purchase a Family 4 Pack on hawkeyesports.com/tickets. 
• The package includes four tickets for $10. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Thursday’s contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus. 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.

NATIONAL RANKINGS 

• Iowa is ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll. 
• The Hawkeyes are one of five conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. No. 4 Maryland, No. 12 Minnesota, and No. 15 Michigan State are also ranked within the top-25, while Indiana (11 votes) is receiving votes. 
• Iowa is one of five conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. They include: No. 4 Maryland, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 17 Michigan State, and Indiana (9 votes). 

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Iowa faces 10 teams who made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including four nonconference opponents and six Big Ten foes. 
• The Hawkeyes are 2-2 on the season in games against 2018 NCAA Tournament opponents, including wins over Drake and Western Kentucky. 
• As of Jan. 1, Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 20th nationally. 

HISTORY MADE 

• Senior Megan Gustafson became the University of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer on Dec. 30, surpassing both the men’s and women’s records. 
• Ally Disterhoft (2013-17) set the previous women’s record of 2,102 in 2017. 
• Roy Marble held the men’s record of 2,116 since 1989. 
• Gustafson has 2,124 career points.

REBOUNDING RECORD FALLS

• Senior Megan Gustafson broke Iowa’s program record for career rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 5. 
• Gustafson has 1,130 rebounds in her career. She bested the previous record of 1,067 set by Cindy Haugejorde in 1980. Gustafson registered her 1,000th career rebound at Western Kentucky (11/13). 

SCOUTING NEBRASKA 

• Nebraska is 7-6 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Huskers are 1-5 on the road this season. 
• The Huskers opened the Big Ten season with a , 70-56, win over Michigan, before picking up a, 78-69, road win at Ohio State. 
• Eight Huskers average 8.2 points or more this season. Freshman guard Sam Haiby leads the team with 10.8 points per game. 
• Sophomore center Kate Cain is Nebraska’s leading rebounder. She averages 6.5 boards per contest. 
• Cain ranks 11th nationally in blocked shots (32) and 18th in blocked shots per game (2.46). 
• Sophomore guard/forward Taylor Kissinger ranks 10th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (49.2 percent). 

THE SERIES 

• Nebraska leads the all-time series, 14-12. 
• The Huskers defeated the Hawkeyes twice last season. Nebraska won, 74-65, in Lincoln, before defeating the Hawkeyes, 92-74, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• The Hawkeyes and Huskers have split the last 10 meetings, 5-5. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Senior Megan Gustafson recorded her 66th career double-double with 30 points and 14 rebounds at Michigan State on Dec. 30. 
• Gustafson is tied for first nationally with 11 double-doubles this season (Kristine Anigwe, California).
• Gustafson’s 11 double-doubles this season is tied for first in the NCAA 
• 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 43 of her last 51 games. 

BACK-TO-BACK STATE CHAMPS

• For the first time in program history, the Hawkeyes defeated all three in-state teams in back-to-back seasons. 
• The Hawkeyes clinched the state championship with a 91-82 win at Drake. 
• Iowa defeated Iowa State, 73-70, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 5. The Hawkeyes then downed UNI, 83-57, in Iowa City on Dec. 16. 

SHARING IS CARING 

• Through 12 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 22.1 assists per contest — the third-best mark in the NCAA. 
• Eight Hawkeyes have dished out 10 or more assists this season. Junior Makenzie Meyer leads the team with 57 (4.8 per game). 
• The Hawkeyes set 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. 

2ND HALF DOMINANCE 

• Senior Megan Gustafson is averaging 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in the second half this season. 
• Gustafson is shooting 77.5 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from free throw range over the final 20 minutes of action. 
• In the fourth quarter alone, Gustafson averages 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. She is shooting 80.0 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the free throw line in the fourth quarter this season. 

NATIONALLY SPEAKING 

• Iowa is ranked in the top-13 nationally in six categories. Iowa is third in assists per game (22.1), fourth in assists (265) and field goal percentage (51.8), sixth in free throw percentage (79.6), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.51), and 13th in scoring offense (83.6). 
• Senior Megan Gustafson ranks in the top-6 nationally in eight categories. She leads the nation double-doubles (11), field goals made (132), total points (321), and points per game (26.8), ranks second in defensive rebounds per game (9) and field goal percentage (72.9), and sixth in rebounds (151) and rebounds per game (12.6). 

IT WAS FOR FREE! SO I SAID “SURE”

• The Hawkeyes are shooting 79.6 percent from the free throw line this season — a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten Conference and sixth nationally. 
• Iowa was a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line against Iowa State on Dec. 5. Junior Kathleen Doyle (6-for-6), senior Megan Gustafson (5-for-5), junior Makenzie Meyer (2-for-2), and redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian (2-for-2) all made free throws in the contest. 
• 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. 

MS. 2,000 

• Senior Megan Gustafson became just the third Hawkeye in program history to score 2,000 career points in Iowa’s win over IUPUI on Dec. 8. 
• Gustafson is just the seventh Big Ten student-athlete to register 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career, joining Illinois’ Jenna Smith (2007-10), Minnesota’s Laura Coenen (1982-85), Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper (2011-14), Northwestern’s Nia Coffey (2014-17), and Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (2004-07) and Jantel Lavender (2008-11).

THE B1G DUO 

• Seniors Hannah Stewart and Megan Gustafson have dominated down low for the Hawkeyes.
• Gustafson (72.9) and Stewart (60.0) are ranked second and 16th, respectively, in field goal percentage. 
• Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 39.3 points per game and averaging 18.5 rebounds per contest. 
• The duo has 472 points, 222 rebounds, 48 assists, and 24 blocks. They are shooting a combined 68 percent (198-for-291) from the field. 

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE 

• Through 12 games this season, Iowa is averaging 83.6 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally. 
• Iowa’s 51.8 field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the NCAA. 
• 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 Central marked the largest scoring margin for the Hawkeyes since 1992-93. 

GUESS WHO’S BACK? 

• Junior Kathleen Doyle returned to the court on Dec. 5 after missing seven games with a pair of broken bones in her left (non-shooting) hand. 
• Doyle scored a game-high 22 points off the bench for the Hawkeyes against Iowa State in her return. She was 7-for-17 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. 
• In five games this season, Doyle is averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 assists. 
• Doyle made her first start of the season against UNI on Dec. 16. She scored 13 points, dished out seven assists, pulled down four rebounds, and denied three shots in 30 minutes of action. 
• The Preseason All-Big Ten selection averaged 11.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 30 games last season. She ranked 12th nationally in assists per game, and led the Big Ten with 7.5 assists per game in conference action. 

STEWART COMES UP B1G

• Senior Hannah Stewart has started all 12 games for the Hawkeyes this season — the first 12 starts of her career. 
• Stewart is averaging 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 12 or more points in nine of Iowa’s 12 games this season. 
• Stewart’s 60.0 field goal percentage ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation. 

SHE’S ON A ROLL

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll on Monday. 
• Gustafson has been honored by the conference every week this season, including six Player of the Week awards and two Honor Roll mentions.
• Gustafson scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds against Michigan State on Dec. 30. She became the University of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing both the previous Iowa women’s record holder, Ally Disterhoft (2,102; 2013-17), and the prior men’s record holder, Roy Marble (2,116; 1986-89). Gustafson has 2,124 career points.
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has 16 Player of the Week awards in her career — the third most by a Big Ten athlete. Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) holds the record for Player of the Week awards in a career with 19 (2008-11).
• 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 12 games this season, Davis is averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 assists. 
• With 2.6 seconds remaining, Davis hit a game-winning 3-pointer to give Iowa a 73-70 victory over Iowa State on Dec. 5. She ended the game with nine points, three assists, and two steals. 
• 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. 

SENIOR CLASS AWARD

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named 1-of-30 finalists for the Senior Class Award. 
• To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. 
• The candidates will be narrowed to 10 in February. Those names will go on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. 

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.

UP NEXT 

Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 7, hosting Wisconsin. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. (CT).