WBB Notebook: at Big Ten Tournament

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The No. 19/20 University of Iowa women’s basketball team opens the Big Ten Tournament against sixth-seeded Ohio State on Friday at approximately 7:45 p.m. (CT) in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Iowa won the only regular season meeting, 77-68, on Jan. 23 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
 
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG

• Friday’s contest will be streamed on BTN and Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Christy Winters Scott (analyst), and Vera Jones (sideline) will have the call from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
• The game can also be streamed on the Fox Sports app. A subscription is required.
• Links to live stats and video broadcast 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.

 
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• Iowa is 26-23 in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes are 20-17 in the tournament under head coach Lisa Bluder. The 20 wins are the second-most for a current head coach (Sharon Versyp, 24, Indiana/Purdue).
• The Hawkeyes have claimed three tournament titles (1997, 2001, 2019) and made five championship game appearances.
• Iowa’s most recent championship game appearance came in 2019. The second-seeded Hawkeyes overthrew first-seeded Maryland, 90-76, in Bankers Life Field House.
• After a double-bye last season, the second-seeded Hawkeyes downed 10th-seeded Indiana, 70-61, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa then defeated third-seeded Rutgers, 72-67, in the tournament semifinals before beating Maryland in the finals to bring home the second conference title under Lisa Bluder.

 
NATIONALLY RANKED HAWKEYES

• Iowa is ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Iowa is one of four conference teams that are ranked in the AP Poll, including No. 6 Maryland, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 19 Iowa, and No. 20 Indiana.
• The Hawkeyes are one of four Big Ten teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They include: No. 6 Maryland, No. 13 Northwestern, No. 20 Iowa, and No. 22 Indiana.

 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Iowa faced 10 teams who made the 2019 NCAA Tournament in the regular season, including five nonconference opponents and five Big Ten foes.
• As of March 3, Iowa’s RPI ranks 12th nationally.
• The Hawkeyes have registered two wins over ranked opponents this season (No. 17/16 Maryland and No. 12/13 Indiana).
• On March 2, the NCAA women’s basketball selection committee released its final top-16 reveal of the season. Iowa was a No. 4 seed in the Dallas Regional. The Hawkeyes were the No. 13 overall seed.

 
HOME IS WHERE THE TIGERHAWK IS

• Iowa has won 36 consecutive games on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including back-to-back undefeated seasons.
• The Hawkeyes finished the 2018-19 and 2019-20 home schedules, 15-0.
• The last loss for the Hawkeyes at home was a 92-74 defeat against Nebraska on Jan. 28, 2018.
• The Hawkeyes went undefeated on their home court in the regular season for the first time since 2014-15 (18-0) during the 2018-19 season.
• Baylor is leading the country with 54-consecutive wins on their home court.

 
SCOUTING MINNESOTA

• Minnesota enters game two of Big Ten action 16-14 overall and 5-13 in Big Ten Conference action, winning its first game of the tournament, 85-65, over Penn State.
• The Gophers finished in 11th place in the conference and earned the 11-seed.
• Senior forward Taiye Bello, redshirt-junior guard Gadiva Hubbard, and freshmen guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia were all honored by the conference on Monday. Bello was a second team All-Big Ten selection (coaches and media). Powell (coaches and media), Hubbard (media), and Scalia (media) were honorable mentions. Powell was a consensus All-Freshman Team honoree and Scalia was selected by the media.

 
THE SERIES

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 53-27.
• The Hawkeyes and Gophers met twice during the regular season. Iowa defeated Minnesota, 76-75, in Minneapolis (Jan. 16). Sophomore Monika Czinano led the Hawkeyes with 21 points, senior Kathleen Doyle tallied 17, and junior Alexis Sevillian had 11, knocking down the game winning 3-pointer. The Hawkeyes won again in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 90-82, on Feb. 27. Czinano and senior Makenzie Meyer led the Hawkeyes with 24 points apiece.
• Iowa averaged 24.5 assists, 5.5 steals, and shot 56.9 percent from the field.

 
SCOUTING OHIO STATE

• Ohio State enters Big Ten Tournament play with an 18-11 overall record.
• The Buckeyes tied for fifth in the conference with an 11-7 record and earned the No. 6 seed.
• Sophomore forward Dorka Juhasz and freshman guard Kierstan Bell were honored by the conference on Monday. Juhasz was a consensus first team All-Big Ten selection, and Bell was a consensus second team All-Big Ten selection and All-Freshman Team selection.

 
THE SERIES

• Ohio State leads the all-time series, 35-34.
• The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes met once during the regular season.
• Iowa defeated Ohio State, 77-68, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Senior Kathleen Doyle led the Hawkeyes with 26 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds. Senior Makenzie Meyer added 19 points and five assists.

 
P.O.Y. UNIVERSITY

• Senior Kathleen Doyle was named the consensus Big Ten Player of the Year.
• Doyle is the sixth Hawkeye in program history to be named Big Ten Player of the Year, marking the third consecutive Player of the Year for the Hawkeyes. Megan Gustafson won in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
• Doyle is also a unanimous first team All-Big Ten honoree (coaches and media).

 
B1G HONORS

• Three Hawkeyes earned all-conference honors and one made the All-Freshman Team.
• Senior Kathleen Doyle earned unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors (coaches & media).
• Sophomore Monika Czinano earned first team All-Big Ten honors from the media and second team accolades from the coaches.
• Senior Makenzie Meyer earned second team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media and was named Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.
• McKenna Warnock was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the coaches.

 
BLUDER’S WINNINGEST BUNCH

• Seniors Kathleen Doyle, Makenzie Meyer, and Amanda Ollinger are the winningest Hawkeyes under Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, accumulating 96 wins in their careers.
• The trio surpassed the 2013-14 and 2015-16 senior classes’ 94 wins with its 100-57 win over Penn State (Feb. 23).

 
HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE

• Iowa’s 49.0 field goal percentage is leading the Big Ten and ranks third in the NCAA.
• Through 28 games this season, Iowa is averaging 79.9 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (37.2) and rank 11th in the nation.
• Iowa scored 108 points in its win over Illinois on Dec. 31, marking the highest point total in program history.
• The Hawkeyes have recorded four 100-point games this season, including a 100-72 win over Towson (Nov. 28), a 102-50 win over NC Central (Dec. 14), a 108-72 win over Illinois (Dec. 31), and a 100-57 win over Penn State (Feb. 22).

 
THE HEAD ASSISTANT — KATHLEEN DOYLE

• The Hawkeyes are leading the country in assist/field goal percentage (70.3 percent) with 584 assists on 831 baskets.
• Senior Kathleen Doyle ranks second all-time at Iowa in assists, tallying 702 career assists.
• Doyle recorded an Iowa single-game record-breaking 15 assists against Nebraska (Feb.6).
• Doyle recorded nine assists against NC Central (Dec. 14), surpassing Cara Consuegra (576) to rank second all-time at Iowa in career assists.
• Doyle leads the Hawkeyes with 185 assists on the season, followed by fellow senior Makenzie Meyer with 116 assists.

 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING

• The Hawkeyes are third in the country in field goal percentage (49.0), and fifth in total assists (584) and assists per game (20.1).
• Iowa is ranked in the top 20, nationally, in three additional categories, including, 11th in scoring offense (79.9), 11th in 3-point percentage (37.2), 13th in assist turnover ratio (1.28), and 17th in free-throws made (427).

 
THE NATION’S TOP 50

• Sophomore Monika Czinano is leading the country in field goal percentage (69.9), shooting 197-for-282. Czinano’s 197 made field goals ranks 24th in the country despite missing a game and a half due to injury.
• Senior Kathleen Doyle is fifth in the nation in total assists (185), seventh in assists per game (6.4), 17th in free throws made (144), 22nd in free throw attempts (182), 31st in total points (528), and 46th in points per game (18.2).
• Senior Makenzie Meyer ranks 31st in 3-pointers made (75), 35th in 3-point percentage (41.4), and 41st in 3-pointers per game (2.59).
• Senior Amanda Ollinger is ranked 38th in the country with 55 blocked shots and 43rd in blocked shots per game (1.9).

 
HAWKEYES RANK B1G

• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in seven categories, including field-goal percentage (49.0), total assists (584), assists per game (20.1), 3-point percentage (37.2), free throws made (427), 3-pointers made (229), and 3-pointers per game (7.9).
• Iowa ranks second in scoring offense (79.9), assist turnover ratio (1.28), free-throw attempts (572), and free-throw percentage (74.7).
• The Hawkeyes are third in fewest fouls (434) and 3-pointers attempted (515).

 
B1G INDIVIDUALS

• Three Hawkeyes rank in the Big Ten top-10 points per game, including senior Kathleen Doyle (18.2), who ranks fourth, sophomore Monika Czinano (16.1), who ranks sixth, and senior Makenzie Meyer, who ranks 10th. The Hawkeyes are the only team with multiple athletes on the Big Ten top-10 scoring list.
• Czinano is leading the conference in field goal percentage (69.9) and ranks second in field goals made, sinking 197-of-282 shots taken despite missing a game and a half due to injury.
• Doyle leads the league in total assists (185) and assists per game (6.4), ranks third in free-throw made (144), free-throw attempts (182), and free-throw percentage (79.1), and fourth in total points (528), points per game (18.2), and field goal attempts (390).
• Meyer leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (83.7), ranks second in 3-pointers made (75) and 3-pointers per game (2.59), and ranks fourth in 3-point percentage (41.4) and 3-pointers attempted (181).
• Senior Amanda Ollinger ranks second in defensive rebounds per game (6.2) and third in blocked shots (55) and blocks per game (1.9), total rebounds (249), and rebounds per game (8.6).

 
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 1,243 points at Iowa and ranks 23rd.
• Meyer was the 38th Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points, following fellow senior Kathleen Doyle.
• Doyle scored her 1,500th career point against Minnesota (Feb. 27) with nine points in the first half to reach the career marker.
• 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 was the 37th Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points and now ranks 13th (1,521) all-time at Iowa.