THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (10-7, 3-3) return home Sunday to entertain the Northwestern Wildcats (5-12, 1-5). Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for youths, while UI students are admitted free.
PROMOTIONS
Sunday is Iowa’s annual “Girl Scout Day”. Sunday is also “Autism Speaks Awareness Day” and “Letterwinners Day” at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. There will be a pre-game Kids Fun Zone on the north concourse and post-game player autographs.
HOME SWEET HOME
Iowa has maintained a solid home court advantage the last couple years. Dating back to last season, Iowa has won 13 of its last 14 games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Purdue snapped Iowa’s 12-game winning streak with a 69-60 win Dec. 28 in Iowa City.
LETTERWINNERS DAY
Fans will be treated to a women’s basketball reunion as some former Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday. There will be a reception for the former Hawkeyes Saturday night at the Kinnick Stadium Press Box. They will also be honored during halftime of Sunday’s contest.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern is playing its first game in a week after receiving its first “bye” Thursday night. The Wildcats enter Sunday’s game 5-12 overall and 1-5 in league play. Northwestern is winless (0-7) on the road this season.
Four of Northwestern’s 12 setbacks have come by six points or less and the Wildcats have lost two games in overtime, including their last outing vs. Purdue last Sunday.
In the overtime loss to Purdue, three Wildcats netted double figures: Jenny Eckhart (12), Amy Jaeschke (11) and Maggie Mocchi (10). Jaeschke also blocked a game-high seven shots. The Boilermakers scored 19 points off 19 Northwestern turnovers and tallied 17 second-chance points.
Jaeschke averages a team-best 16.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per contest. Kristin Cartwright, the daughter of former Chicago Bulls star Bill Cartwright, averages 9.5 points. Eckhart averages a team-best 3.5 assists.
Joe McKeown is the newest Big Ten head coach. McKeown, who coached in his 700th career game last Sunday vs. Purdue, is in his first season on the Wildcat sidelines after coaching at George Washington. He is in his 23rd season as a head coach (514-186, .734).
ALL-TIME SERIES
Sunday will be the 53rd meeting between Iowa and Northwestern, with the Hawkeyes leading the series 40-12. Iowa boasts a 19-4 advantage in games played at Iowa City. Northwestern’s last victory in Iowa City came on Jan. 22, 1995 (58-57).
The Hawkeyes have won 14 straight in the series (all during Bluder’s tenure), including nine consecutive at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa boasts a 19.2 margin of victory average during the winning streak and an 18-point margin of victory in the last nine contests played in Iowa City. The Wildcats’ last win over Iowa came at the 2000 Big Ten Tournament (53-52) in Indianapolis.
IOWA, NORTHWESTERN NOTES
• Ten of Iowa’s 17 games have been decided by 17 points or more (6-4).
• Iowa boasts a perfect 8-0 record when allowing 59 points or less, are 10-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponents and 10-0 when leading at halftime this season.
• Megan Skouby and Wendy Ausdemore have had terrific outings in games against Northwestern during their careers. Skouby averages 19.2 points, including sinking 22-24 (.917) from the foul line, and 5.8 rebounds in five contests against the Wildcats. Ausdemore averages 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in five games against Northwestern.
• Both Joe McKeown and Lisa Bluder reached the 500-win milestone last season.
• Bluder coached against McKeown twice before when he was at George Washington. Bluder’s 2000-01 Iowa team lost at George Washington (78-64) and her 1994-95 Drake team fell at George Washington (96-93) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Billy Fennelly, son of Iowa State Head Women’s Basketball Coach Bill Fennelly, is in his first season as Northwestern Director of Women’s Basketball Operations.
• Megan Skouby cracked Iowa’s all-time scoring top ten list with her 21 points at Illinois Thursday. The senior surpassed Necole Tunsil for 10th on Iowa’s career scoring chart. Skouby now has 1,289 points.
• Iowa is the only school with three players ranked in the top 15 in Big Ten assists: Kachine Alexander (ninth), Kristi Smith (10th) and Wendy Ausdemore (15th).
• Eight Big Ten teams already have at least two losses. Furthermore, six squads already have three defeats or more.
• Kristi Smith collected her 350th career assist at Indiana (Jan. 4). She dished out four assists vs. Minnesota to surpass Nadine Domond for sixth on Iowa’s all-time assists chart. The senior is only five from passing Steph Schuler and cracking the top five.
• Iowa players have corralled double-digit rebounds 14 times this season. JoAnn Hamlin and Kachine Alexander have accomplished the feat a team-best six times and Wendy Ausdemore has done it twice.
• Iowa has held eight of the 10 teams it has beat to 58 points or less.
• Kachine Alexander and JoAnn Hamlin lead the team in rebounding, averaging 7.4 and 7.3, respectively. Alexander ranks ninth in league rebounding, while Hamlin ranks 11th.
• Iowa has had six different players lead the team in scoring through 17 games. Megan Skouby has shared or led the squad in scoring a team-best seven times.
• Last season, Megan Skouby blocked 23 shots in 32 games; she already has amassed 34 through 17 games this season. She currently sits third on Iowa’s career rejections list with 141. She is only five blocks from surpassing Toni Foster for second. Skouby has blocked at least one shot in eight-consecutive games.
• Kristi Smith has reached double figures a team-best 11 times.
• Iowa has an RPI rating of 29th in the country and strength of schedule that ranks seventh. The Hawkeyes’ strength of schedule ranks second in the Big Ten. Northwestern is rated 174th in the RPI and 41st in strength of schedule. The numbers are based on the report published Jan. 16.
IOWA WINS AT ILLINOIS, WINS SECOND-STRAIGHT GAME
For the second-straight game, Iowa led start-to-finish. This time it was a 72-62 triumph at Illinois Thursday night in Assembly Hall. The win was Iowa’s fifth-straight at Champaign.
Megan Skouby, Kristi Smith and Kamille Wahlin combined for 50 of Iowa’s 72 points. Skouby scored a game-high 21 points, Smith contributed 17, while Wahlin added a season-high 12. Smith also had five assists and no turnovers.
Iowa shot lights-out from long distance, shooting a season-best 62.5 percent, making 10 of 16 attempts. Illinois was only 1-7 (.143) from 3-point range.
Smith made her first five 3-point field goal attempts, marking the second-straight contest she sank five triples. Alexander dished out a career-high nine assists and also was credited with only one turnover and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Hawkeye defense limited Illinois to just 33.8 percent (22-65) shooting, but did allow 46 rebounds, including 20 offensive boards. Illinois’ Jenna Smith finished with a game-high 18 rebounds and a team-high 18 points. Lacey Simpson grabbed 15 boards and added 12 points.
Iowa turned the ball over a season-low eight times. The Hawkeyes also assisted on 21 of their 26 field goals.
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will be idle next Thursday, receiving its second of two “byes”. The Hawkeyes return to action Monday, Jan. 26 when they entertain the Michigan Wolverines. That game will be Iowa’s annual “Buck Night”.
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