Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — January | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Game Notes (PDF)
THIS WEEK
The No. 13/12 University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Thursday for a road matchup with the Wolverines. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. (CT) at the Crisler Center.
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
- Thursday’s contest will air live on BTN. Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott will have the call from the Crisler Center. 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. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP Poll.
- The Hawkeyes moved up four spots in the AP Poll and three spots in the Coaches Poll following wins over Rutgers and Purdue last week.
- Iowa’s No. 12 ranking in the Coaches Poll is the highest for the Hawkeyes since Iowa was ranked No. 11 on April 6, 2015.
- Iowa is one of five conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. No. 11 Maryland, No. 13 Iowa, No. 17 Rutgers, and No. 22 Michigan State are all ranked in the top-25, while Minnesota is receiving one vote.
- The Hawkeyes are one of four teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They include: No. 10 Maryland, No. 12 Iowa, No. 19 Rutgers, and No. 22 Michigan State.
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 4-2 on the season in games against 2018 NCAA Tournament opponents, including wins over Drake, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
- As of Jan. 28, Iowa’s RPI is nine.
- Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 10th nationally.
- The Hawkeyes have registered three wins over ranked opponents this season (vs. #25/20 West Virginia, #23/20 Minnesota, and #14/18 Rutgers).
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- Michigan is 12-9 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten action this season.
- The Wolverines are 8-1 in the Crisler Center. Their lone home loss came to No. 23 Michigan State, 77-73, on Jan. 27.
- Senior Hallie Thome leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. Freshman Naz Hillmon is second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game.
- Hillmon leads the team on the boards, pulling down 6.8 rebounds per contest.
- In nine Big Ten contests this season, Thome averages a team-high 14.1 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds.
- Hillmon ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage (68.5 percent), while Thome ranks 29th (56.4 percent).
- As a team, Michigan ranks 18th nationally in rebounding margin (8.6) and 20th in total rebounds (863
THE SERIES
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 50-17.
- The Hawkeyes defeated the Wolverines, 75-61, in Iowa City on Jan. 17. Senior Megan Gustafson led the team with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists. Seniors Hannah Stewart (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Tania Davis (10 points, 6 assists), and junior Kathleen Doyle (10 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes.
- Iowa and Michigan met just once last season. Iowa defeated No. 19 Michigan, 82-72, on Dec. 31, 2017 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
- Gustafson led Iowa in last year’s victory, scoring 27 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-for-11 performance from the free throw line. She also pulled down 11 rebounds. Doyle scored 23 points (9-for-17 from the field) and dished out nine assists.
HIGH FIVE
- The Hawkeyes have won five straight Big Ten contests, including wins over No. 20 Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, No. 14 Rutgers, and Purdue.
- Two of Iowa’s last five wins have come on the road, including wins at No. 20 Minnesota (81-63) and Illinois (94-75).
- Iowa is off to its best start in Big Ten play since 2014-15. The Hawkeyes finished the 2014-15 season 26-8 overall, 14-4 in the Big Ten, and made a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
- In the last five games, the Hawkeyes are averaging 78.8 points and holding their opponents to 64.6 points.
- Iowa is shooting 57.3 percent from the field, dishing out 23.4 assists, and committing just 11.6 turnovers per game during that span.
- Four Hawkeyes are averaging 12 or more points over the last five games. They include: Megan Gustafson (27.8), Hannah Stewart (12.8), Tania Davis (12.4), and Kathleen Doyle (12.4).
B1G CROWD, B1G WIN
- Iowa improved to 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten with a 72-58 win over Purdue on Jan. 27.
- The Hawkeyes secured the win in front of 9,319 people. It marked Iowa’s largest crowd since Feb. 21, 2016 (vs. Indiana, 9,838).
- Senior Megan Gustafson led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native registered 16 second-half points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
- Senior Hannah Stewart registered career highs in points (21) and field goals made (10). She shot 83 percent from the field (10-for-12).
- Junior Kathleen Doyle dished out a game-high nine assists. She also chipped in seven points, six rebounds, and two steals.
- Iowa’s defense held Purdue to just nine points in the second quarter and 11 points in the fourth quarter.
- Iowa was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
THE MEGAN GUSTAFSON AWARD
- For the ninth time this season, senior Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
- Gustafson has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week 19 times, tying the conference record for weekly awards in a career (Jantel Lavender, Ohio State).
- Gustafson also tied her own single-season record of nine set in 2017-18.
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native averaged 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and shot 64 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free throw line in Iowa wins over No. 14 Rutgers and Purdue last week.
- Gustafson has been honored by the conference every week this season, including nine Player of the Week awards and three Honor Roll mentions.
STREAK SNAPPED
- Iowa snapped No. 14 Rutgers’ 10-game winning streak with a 72-66 victory in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 23.
- Senior Megan Gustafson led all scorers with 32 points on 13-for-16 shooting from the field. She grabbed 12 rebounds to register her 18th double-double. Juniors Kathleen Doyle (17 points) and Makenzie Meyer (11) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes.
- The Hawkeyes made 12-of-16 fourth quarter free throws to seal the win over the Scarlet Knights.
- Iowa was the first team to score 70 or more points on the Scarlet Knights.
- Iowa shot 50 percent (24-for-48) from the field — the highest percentage registered against Rutgers this season.
STEWART COMES UP B1G
- Senior Hannah Stewart registered a steal, layup, blocked shot, and rebound in the final 3:19 to seal Iowa’s win over No. 14 Rutgers on Jan. 23.
- With 1:28 left, the Minot, North Dakota, native scored on a driving layup to give Iowa a 65-62 lead. On the next Rutgers’ possession, Stewart blocked a shot and brought down the rebound to force a shooting foul and put the game out of reach.
- Stewart has started all 20 games for the Hawkeyes — the first 20 starts of her career.
- Stewart is averaging 12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
- The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 10 or more points in 17 of Iowa’s 20 games this season.
OOPS, SHE DID IT AGAIN
- Senior Megan Gustafson recorded her 74th career double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds against Purdue on Jan. 27.
- She is just the second student-athlete in Big Ten women’s basketball history to register 70 or more double-doubles. Jantel Lavender holds the current Big Ten record with 77 double-doubles.
- Gustafson leads the nation with 19 double-doubles this season.
- She 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 51 of her last 59 games, including the last 15 straight games.
HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE
- Iowa’s 52.1 field goal percentage leads the nation.
- Through 20 games this season, Iowa is averaging 80.1 points per game, a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten and 17th 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 Central marked the largest scoring margin for the Hawkeyes since 1992-93.
EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT
- Senior Megan Gustafson leads the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 69.9 percent. She has made an NCAA-best 221 field goals this season on 316 attempts (ranks 26th nationally).
- According to Her Hoop Stats, Gustafson averages 1.35 points per possession this season — the best rate in the country. Gustafson also ranks sixth in points per scoring attempt at 1.43.
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 69.9 percent, while Stewart ranks 18th at 60.0 percent. They rank first and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten.
- Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 39.3 points per game and averaging 18.9 rebounds per contest.
- The duo has 785 points, 377 rebounds, 80 assists, and 46 blocks. They are shooting a combined 66.52percent (335-for-506) from the field.
(AS)SISTER SISTER
- Junior Kathleen Doyle has registered five or more assists in 10 of the last 11 games, including Big Ten contests against Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, and Rutgers.
- 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 13 games this season, Doyle is averaging 5.9 assists per game.
- In nine Big Ten games, Doyle is averaging 6.6 assists per game — the second-best mark in the Big Ten.
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 2,331 career points.
- Gustafson also broke Iowa’s program record for career rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 5.
- Gustafson has 1,246 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).
SHARING IS CARING
- Through 20 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 22.3 assists per contest — the second-best mark in the NCAA.
- Six Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists this season. Senior Tania Davis leads the team with 98 (4.9 per game).
- In nine conference games, junior Kathleen Doyle is averaging 6.6 assists — the second-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.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
- Senior Megan Gustafson was named to the 2018 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Jan. 25.
- Gustafson is one of four Big Ten women’s basketball student-athletes included on the top-15 list (Ae’Rianna Harris – Purdue, Shakira Austin – Maryland, and Kenisha Bell – Minnesota). The award’s semifinalists will be announced in February.
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native currently ranks in the top three nationally in eight statistical categories, and leads the nation in four categories, including double-doubles (19), field goal percentage (71.3), total points (503), and points per game (26.5).
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 20 games this season, Davis is averaging 10.8 points and 4.9 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.
UP NEXT
Iowa travels to University Park, Pennsylvania, for a matchup with Penn State on Feb. 3. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. (CT).
