Iowa Travels to Purdue on Thursday

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THIS WEEK 

The No. 17/17 University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a Thursday night matchup with Purdue. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. (CT) in Mackey Arena. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Thursday’s contest will air live on BTN. Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (analyst) will have the call from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 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. 17 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes jumped up two spots in the AP Poll and three spots in the Coaches Poll from last week. 
• The Hawkeyes are one of six conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. No. 9 Maryland, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 23 Michigan State, and No. 25 Indiana are also ranked within the top-25, while Rutgers (41 votes) is receiving votes. 
• Iowa is one of seven conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the Coaches Poll. They include: No. 9 Maryland, No. 20 Minnesota, No. 24 Michigan State, Indiana (44 votes), Rutgers (13 votes), and Michigan (2 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 3-2 on the season in games against 2018 NCAA Tournament opponents, including wins over Drake, Western Kentucky, and Nebraska. 
• As of Jan. 7, Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 18th nationally. 

SCOUTING PURDUE

• Purdue is 11-5 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten Conference action. The Boilermakers have won four of their last five contests. 
• The Boilermakers are 9-1 when playing in Mackey Arena, including Big Ten wins over Ohio State (60-42) and Michigan (71-70). Purdue’s lone home loss came to No. 25 South Carolina 82-73 in double overtime on Dec. 16. 
• Three Boilermakers are averaging double figures in scoring. Junior guard Dominique Oden leads the team with 16.0 points per game. 
• In three Big Ten contests, Oden is averaging 19.3 points per game. 
• Junior forward Ae’Rianna Harris leads the team on the boards, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. 
• Harris ranks first in the Big Ten and third nationally in blocked shots per game (3.38). 
• As a team, Purdue ranks first in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in blocked shots (91). Purdue’s 5.7 blocks per game ranks third in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. 

THE SERIES 

• Purdue leads the all-time series, 39-31. 
• The Boilermakers won the lone meeting between the two teams last season, 76-70, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Senior Megan Gustafson led the Hawkeyes with 37 points on 17-for-23 shooting (74 percent) from the field. She also had a game-high 14 rebounds. 

BALANCED ATTACK LEADS IOWA PAST WISCONSIN

• Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures in Iowa’s 71-53 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 7. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led the team with 21 points, while junior Kathleen Doyle (15), senior Hannah Stewart (11), and junior Makenzie Meyer (10) also scored in double figures. 
• The Hawkeyes forced 17 Badger turnovers, scoring 23 points off of those miscues. 
• Iowa dished out 23 assists on 29 made field goals. The Hawkeyes committed just 10 turnovers. 
• Four Hawkeyes registered four or more assists. Doyle led the team with seven, while Meyer and senior Tania Davis each chipped in five. Redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian dished out four. 

(AS)SISTER SISTER 

• Junior Kathleen Doyle has registered five or more assists in each of the last five games. 
• Doyle finished one assist shy of her fifth career double-double in Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Jan. 3. Her nine assists marked a season high. 
• In seven games this season, Doyle is averaging 5.6 assists per game. 
• In three Big Ten games, Doyle is averaging 7.0 assists per game — tied for first in the conference. 

IT WAS FOR FREE! SO I SAID “SURE”

• The Hawkeyes are shooting 78.3 percent from the free throw line this season — a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten Conference and ninth 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. 

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 2,173 career points.

THE B1G DUO 

• Seniors Hannah Stewart and Megan Gustafson have dominated down low for the Hawkeyes.
• The duo ranks in the top-20 nationally in field goal percentage. Gustafson leads the nation at 71.1 percent, while Stewart ranks 19th at 59.5 percent. They rank first and third, respectively, in the Big Ten.
• Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 39.0 points per game and averaging 18.6 rebounds per contest. 
• The duo has 546 points, 261 rebounds, 52 assists, and 34 blocks. They are shooting a combined 65.0 percent (229-for-350) from the field. 

SHARING IS CARING 

• Through 14 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 67 (4.8 per game). 
• In three conference games, junior Kathleen Doyle is averaging 7.0 assists — tied for the best mark in the Big Ten. 
• The Hawkeyes set new school assist records in back-to-back games. Iowa dished out 34 assists against Western Kentucky on Nov. 13, before besting that mark with 36 against North Carolina Central on Nov. 17. 

REBOUNDING RECORD FALLS

• Senior Megan Gustafson broke Iowa’s program record for career rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 5. 
• Gustafson has 1,159 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). 

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE 

• Through 14 games this season, Iowa is averaging 82.2 points per game, a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten and 13th nationally. 
• Iowa’s 51.2 field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks third 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. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Senior Megan Gustafson recorded her 68th career double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds against Wisconsin on Jan. 7. 
• Gustafson leads the nation with 13 double-doubles this season. 
• 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 45 of her last 53 games. 

2ND HALF DOMINANCE 

• Senior Megan Gustafson is averaging 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in the second half this season. 
• Gustafson is shooting 74.1 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from free throw range over the final 20 minutes of action. 
• In the fourth quarter alone, Gustafson averages 9.1 points and 3.2 rebounds. 
• She is shooting 74.6 percent from the field and 82.5 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. The Hawkeyes are third in assists per game (22.0) and field goal percentage (51.6), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.48), seventh in assists (286), ninth in free throw percentage (78.3), and 13th in scoring offense (83.1). 
• Senior Megan Gustafson ranks in the top-7 nationally in eight categories. She leads the nation in field goal percentage (71.1), double-doubles (13), points per game (26.8), and field goals made (143), third in total points (349) and defensive rebounds per game (10), fifth in rebounds per game (12.9), and seventh in rebounds (168). 
• Senior Hannah Stewart ranks 19th nationally in field goal percentage (59.5). 

STEWART COMES UP B1G

• Senior Hannah Stewart has started all 14 games for the Hawkeyes this season — the first 14 starts of her career. 
• Stewart is averaging 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 12 or more points in 10 of Iowa’s 14 games this season. 
• Stewart’s 59.5 field goal percentage ranks third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation. 

SHE’S ON A ROLL

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the seventh time this season on Monday. 
• Gustafson has been honored by the conference every week this season, including seven Player of the Week awards and two Honor Roll mentions.
• She led all scorers with 28 points and 17 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Jan. 3, registering her 12th double-double of the season. She also chipped in five blocks, two assists, and a steal. Gustafson recorded 16 points and eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes of action.
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has 17 Player of the Week awards in her career — tied for the second most by a Big Ten athlete (Kelly Mazzante, Penn State). Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) holds the record for Player of the Week awards in a career with 19 (2008-11).
• Gustafson broke a 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 14 games this season, Davis is averaging 10.6 points and 4.4 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. 

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.

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. 

UP NEXT 

Iowa travels to Minneapolis for a matchup with No. 18/20 Minnesota on Jan. 14. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2.