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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Illinois in its Big Ten home opener Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Mediacom Court. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (CT).
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
- Tuesday’s contest will be streamed on BTN+. A subscription is required.
- The game can also be streamed on the Fox Sports Go app (subscription).
- 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 fourth year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline reporter since 2004. He has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television.
- Lang is in her fourth 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.
PARKING
- Lot 40 will be closed due to Tuesday’s game falling during a UI work day. All WB40 passes will be shifted to the east half Lot 33, the north half of the Dental Lot.
- Lot 33 is unavailable for public parking for this game.
Public parking options include:
- Lot 75
- Lot 43
- Lot 65
- Newton Road Ramp (at the normal hourly rate)
TICKETS
- Single-game tickets are available for purchase online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets, in person at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS.
PROMOTIONS
- New Year’s Eve Party — FREE black Fight For Iowa t-shirts while supplies lasts.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
- Illinois is 9-3 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten Conference after its 77-50 loss to Northwestern on Saturday.
- The Illini are third in the Big Ten in steals, recording 10.5 per game.
- Redshirt junior Petra Holešínská leads Illinois and ranks eighth in the B1G in scoring at 15.1 points per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range. She leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers made this season and is tied for second in 3-point percentage (.463). Holešínská has made 30 of her 37 free-throw attempts (.811) this season.
- Freshman forward Kennedi Myles leads the Big Ten with 10.2 rebounds per game, third-most among all Division I true freshmen and 25th in the country. Her five double-doubles are third-most in the country by a freshman.
- Myles is also averaging 10.3 points and 2.5 steals per game.
- As a team, Illinois averages 67.9 points per game, while holding opponents to 63.6.
- Illinois head coach Nancy Fahey has 765 career victories, a number that ranks among the top totals in the NCAA. Her win total currently checks in at No. 19 among all NCAA head coaches, a category that’s led by Pat Summitt (1098). Fahey’s 765 career victories also rank eighth among current active NCAA Division I head coaches and 11th among all active NCAA head coaches.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS — THE SERIES
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 57-19, winning the last five matchups.
- Last season, the Hawkeyes swept the Illini with wins in Champaign, Illinois, 94-75, on Jan. 20 and at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 88-66, on Feb. 14.
- The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last 10 contests against Illinois.
- Iowa is 31-5 in Iowa City against the Illini — its most recent loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was during the 2006-07 season. The Hawkeyes have won nine consecutive-home games since.
HAWKEYES RANK B1G
- In the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes are leading in assists, averaging 20.3 per game. Iowa ranks second in free-throw percentage (.724) and 3-pointers made (99), and are third in scoring offense (78.8 ppg), field goal percentage (.467), 3-point field goal percentage (.371), and assist/turnover ratio (1.3).
- Three Hawkeyes rank in the top 10 of the Big Ten for points per game, including senior Kathleen Doyle (15.8), sophomore Monika Czinano (15.2), and senior Makenzie Meyer (15.0). The Hawkeyes are the only team with multiple athletes averaging 15 points or more.
- Czinano is leading the conference in field goal percentage (.725), making 79 of 109 shots taken.
- Doyle is leading the Big Ten in assists per game (6.0) this season.
- Senior Makenzie Meyer ranks fourth in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.7 per game.
- Senior Amanda Ollinger is ranked fourth in rebounds per game, tallying 8.4. Ollinger averages 5.7 defensive rebounds per game, tying for third. Ollinger also ties for fourth in blocked shots (1.5 per game).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
- Iowa is ranked sixth in assists per game (20.3) in Division I women’s basketball, but ranks first in field goals assisted (72.5 percent).
- Sophomore Monika Czinano continues to lead the country in field goal percentage (.725), shooting 79-for-109.
- Senior Kathleen Doyle ranks eighth in the NCAA for assists per game (6.0) and ninth for 72 total assists on the season.
ON THE SEASON
- Iowa closed out the nonconference schedule, 9-2, and dropped its first conference contest to Nebraska, 78-69.
- Sophomore Monika Czinano recorded her first career double-double against Nebraska (Dec. 28), putting up 16 points and pulling in a career-high 17 rebounds. Czinano is also leading the Hawkeyes in shooting percentage (.725).
- Senior Kathleen Doyle (15.8), sophomore Monika Czinano (15.2), and senior Makenzie Meyer (15.0 lead the Hawkeyes in points per game.
- Senior Amanda Ollinger leads the Hawkeyes in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game. Ollinger recorded a career-high 20 rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 11.
SHARING IS CARING
- The Hawkeyes are leading the country in assist/field goal percentage with 243 assists on 335 baskets.
- Senior Kathleen Doyle ranks second all-time at Iowa in assists, tallying 589 career assists.
- Doyle recorded nine assists against NC Central (Dec. 14), surpassing Cara Consuegra (576).
- Doyle leads the Hawkeyes with 72 assists on the season, followed by fellow senior Makenzie Meyer with 48 assists.
B1G HONOR ROLL
- Two Hawkeyes have earned Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week Honor Roll, including seniors Kathleen Doyle (Nov. 25) and Makenzie Meyer (Dec. 16, Dec. 23).
- Meyer registered a game-high 24 points, shooting 9-for-14, while adding five assists and four rebounds in the Hawkeyes’ home victory over in-state foe Drake (Dec. 21).
- Meyer averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with a .632 field-goal percentage last week in the Hawkeyes’ wins over in-state rival Iowa State (Dec. 11) and North Carolina Central (Dec. 14).
- Doyle challenged for a triple-double in the Hawkeyes’ overtime win over Princeton on Nov. 20. She finished the game with 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
WELCOME TO THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
- Senior Makenzie Meyer scored her 1,000th career point in the Hawkeyes, 79-67, win over Drake on Dec. 21. She currently has 1,001 points at Iowa.
- Meyer is the 38th Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points, following Doyle, who accomplished the career mark earlier this season.
- Senior Kathleen Doyle scored her 1,000th-career point in Iowa’s 85-53 win over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 14. She put up seven points in the first quarter to break into the 1,000-point club against FAU.
- Doyle is the 37th Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points and now ranks 27th all-time at Iowa (1,164).
GUARDS ON DUTY
- The Hawkeyes are experienced at the guard position, returning seniors Kathleen Doyle, Makenzie Meyer, and junior Alexis Sevillian.
- Together, the trio accounted for 131 of Iowa’s 201 3-pointers made (65 percent) and collectively averaged 78.9 percent from the free-throw line last season.
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
- For the third consecutive year, senior Kathleen Doyle has been named captain by her teammates along with senior Makenzie Meyer and junior Alexis Sevillian.
- Doyle, a first team All-Big Ten selection, returns for her senior season after leading the Big Ten with 6.3 assists per game in conference play.
RECORD WATCH
- Head coach Lisa Bluder is seven wins away from 200 Big Ten Conference wins.
- Senior Kathleen Doyle is 11 away from 600 career assists.
- Senior Amanda Ollinger is 16 points away from tying her most points in a season.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
- Senior Kathleen Doyle earned unanimous preseason All-Big Ten recognition, the conference office announced Oct. 21.
- Doyle, a 2018-19 first team All-Big Ten selection (coaches), earns the second preseason honor of her career. The LaGrange Park, Illinois, native finished last season ranked 15th nationally in assists per game (5.9) and tied for 31st in total assists (170). The senior led the Big Ten with 6.3 assists per game in conference action last season. She scored in double figures 20 times in 29 games, and dished out five or more assists on 21 occasions.
UP NEXT
Iowa heads to Evanston, Illinois, to take on the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CT), and the game will be broadcast on BTN.
