WBB Preview – Northern Illinois

The University of Iowa women’s basketball team will open their season against Northern Illinois on Wednesday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will tip off at 6:31 p.m. (CT) and be streamed live on B1G+. Tickets for this game are sold out, fans are encouraged to visit SEATGEEK, the official ticketing partner of Iowa Athletics.

FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Rob Brooks (play-by-play) and Tiff Reedy (color) on the call. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 30-minute pregame show.
Stream: Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on B1G+ — a paid subscription service. AJ Reisetter (play-by-play) and Hayden Hoxmeier (color) will be on the call.

PROGRAM QUICK HITS
» Iowa was the first program in the Big Ten conference to compete in back-to-back National Championships.
» Iowa tied Purdue (1998-99) and Maryland (2014-15) for most wins in B1G history in 2023-24. (34)
» Iowa has been ranked in the national attendance top 10 each of the past five seasons with fans (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019).
» The Hawkeyes won 15+ games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in four out of the last six seasons, which is the best six-year stretch in program history.
» Iowa won four of the last six Big Ten Tournament titles (2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024).
» Over the last two seasons, Iowa has won 65 games which is the best two-year stretch in program history.
» Iowa has earned eight straight 20-win seasons, which is the second longest streak in program history. (1984-94)
» Since 2020, the Hawkeyes are 109-30.
» In Big Ten play, Iowa is 55-18 over the last four years.
» The Hawkeyes return eight lettewinners and welcome six newcomers to the 2024-25 roster.
» Iowa has the longest active streak in the nation scoring at least 80 points per game in four consecutive seasons.
» Five Hawkeyes drafted have been into the WNBA since 2019, following Kathleen Doyle, Megan Gustafson, Monika Czinano, Kate Martin, and Caitlin Clark.
» Jan Jensen became Iowa’s fifth head coach in program history on May 13, 2024.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
» The Huskies return three of their top five scorers from last season’s squad in Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles), Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) and Brooke Blumenfeld (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North). Stonebraker was named to the Mid-American Conference’s Preseason All-MAC Second Team.
» NIU also returns guard Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) for her sixth year after missing the 2023-24 season due to injury. Koker has been an All-MAC selection three times in her career. In 2023 Koker was named to the All-MAC Second Team after averaging 15.4 points and 3.4 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY
» Iowa leads the all-time series, 7-5.
» The Hawkeyes have won the last three matchups dating back to 2007.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
» Ava Heiden is the program’s first Oregonian and was the No. 5 post prospect in ESPN’s position rankings.
» Heiden is the highest ranked post Jan Jensen has ever coached.
» Aaliyah Guyton comes from a fantastic pedigree, her father played basketball for Indiana and the Chicago Bulls. Her mother played for the Mercury and the Brazilian National Team.
» Guyton was a four star prospect and was the No. 1 rated player in Illinois.
» Teagan Mallegni and Taylor Stremlow both hail from the state of Wisconsin.
» Mallegni’s parents both played sports at Division III power-house UW-Whitewater.
» Callie Levin was the 2024 Gazette, USA Today, SB Live, and Sports Illustrated Iowa Basketball Player of the Year.
» Levin netted nearly 2,000 points at Solon High School.