THE SETTING
The Iowa Hawkeyes (15-9, 8-5) travel to University Park, PA, Sunday to face the Penn State Lady Lions (9-14, 4-9). Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. (CST) in the Bryce Jordan Center. Sunday will be Penn State’s Pink Zone event. Both teams will be wearing pink-trimmed uniforms in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness. Sunday will mark the third Pink Zone game between Iowa and Penn State the last two seasons. Iowa has won three of its last four games, including upsetting No. 13 Ohio State Thursday night in Iowa City. Penn State has lost four of its last five, playing four of the five on the road.
IOWA-ILLINOIS START TIME ANNOUNCED
The Big Ten Conference announced the start time for the Iowa women’s basketball regular season home finale vs. Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 26, will tip-off at 8:06 p.m. from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised live to a national cable audience on the Big Ten Network (HD). Former Hawkeye all-American, Jolette Law, will make her first appearance in Carver-Hawkeye Arena as Illinois’ head coach. Iowa’s game vs. Illinois is also its “Senior Night”. The Hawkeyes will honor their five outstanding seniors after the game.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State enters Sunday’s game with a 9-14 overall record and 4-9 in the Big Ten. Seven of its nine victories have come at home. The Lady Lions have lost four of their last five games, playing four of the five on the road. Sunday will be Penn State’s third game in seven days. Penn State won at Michigan (64-56), but lost at Wisconsin (58-52) on Thursday. In Penn State’s loss at Wisconsin, the Badgers forced 21 Penn State turnovers. Junior Tyra Grant was the only Lady Lion to score in double figures. Grant led all scorers with 24 points. Zhaque Gray netted nine points off the bench. Brianne O’Rourke contributed only five points on 1-7 shooting from the field and 3-3 from the foul line, and one assist. Grant ranks second in Big Ten scoring (19.9) and sixth in 3-pointers made (41). O’Rourke ranks second in Big Ten assists (4.57) and second in team scoring (11.1). Julia Trogele, who was injured during the Penn State at Iowa match-up Feb. 1, missed one game due to the injury. Trogele did not play in a two-point home loss to Minnesota, but saw action off the bench in Penn State’s last two games at Michigan and Wisconsin. She averages 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. As a team, Penn State ranks second in Big Ten steals (9.22) and third in turnover margin (+0.87). The Lady Lions rank last in Big Ten scoring defense (63.7), free throw percentage (.648) and rebounds allowed (38.9). Coquese Washington is in her second season (22-32, .407) as a head coach, both at Penn State. Prior to being named head coach at Penn State, Washington spent a total of eight seasons on the Notre Dame bench, two as an associate head coach and six as an assistant.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Sunday will be the 35th meeting between Iowa and Penn State, with the Lady Lions leading the series 19-15. Iowa has four-straight games over the Lady Lions. Penn State holds an 11-4 advantage in games played in University Park, PA. The Hawkeyes snapped a four-game losing streak at Penn State with a 73-65 triumph last season. The win earned Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder her 500th career victory. Iowa outlasted Penn State 97-89 in triple overtime two weeks ago in Iowa City. The contest is the longest Big Ten game ever played, since league play officially began in 1982-83.
HAWKEYES-LADY LIONS MAKE BIG TEN HISTORY
The Iowa-Penn State triple overtime game on Feb. 1, in Iowa City, made Big Ten history. Iowa became the first Big Ten school to win a triple overtime conference game, since league play officially began in 1982-83.
IOWA, PENN STATE NOTES
• Iowa is 3-0 when wearing pink-trimmed uniforms the last two seasons, including beating Penn State twice.
• Iowa’s win coupled with Indiana’s loss Thursday moved the Hawkeyes into fifth place in the Big Ten standings.
• Iowa’s last five games of the season are against the last five teams in the Big Ten standings.
• Iowa boasts a perfect 9-0 record when allowing 59 points or less, are 14-2 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponents and 14-1 when leading at halftime this season.
• Tyra Grant and Brianne O’Rourke had great games against the Hawkeyes in the first meeting between Iowa and Penn State Feb. 1. Grant totaled 33 points and four assists, while O’Rourke was credited with 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
• Kachine Alexander recorded her second triple-double of the season vs. Penn State Feb. 1. Alexander had 10 assists and career highs in points (26) and rebounds (21).
• Four Hawkeyes average double figures in games against Penn State. Kamille Wahlin tallied 18 points and seven rebounds in her first career game vs. the Lady Lions two weeks ago. Senior Kristi Smith averages 16.5 points and has missed only two free throws (18-20, .900) in six starts vs. Penn State. Sophomore Kachine Alexander averages a double-double (13 points and 12 rebounds) in two games vs. Penn State. Wendy Ausdemore and Megan Skouby average 10.8 and 10.3 points, respectively, in six games.
• Megan Skouby surpassed Lisa Becker for eighth place in Iowa’s career scoring after totaling 21 points at Minnesota. Skouby, who has 1,364 points, will likely finish her career eighth in career scoring. Tangela Smith ranks seventh with 1,598 points. Also, Skouby will finish her career second in blocks (148). Smith, who is first, has 87 more blocks than Skouby.
• Kristi Smith cracked the top 10 career scoring chart with her totals from Sunday’s road game at Minnesota. Smith surpassed Amy Herrig Sunday and then passed Lisa Becker for ninth Thursday night vs. Ohio State. The senior has 1,346 career points, 18 points behind teammate Megan Skouby.
• Megan Skouby has led the team in scoring the entire season, however Kristi Smith has finally caught her senior teammate. Both have scored 313 points through 24 games.
• Kamille Wahlin ranks second in assists (3.15), and fourth in scoring (8.0), rebounding (3.2), field goal percentage (.459) and 3-point field goal percentage (.400), amongst Big Ten freshmen, in conference games only rankings. Additionally, she ranks first in Big Ten assist/turnover ratio (2.16), eighth in field goal percentage (.459) and 10th in assists (3.15), in league games only.
• Last season, Megan Skouby blocked 23 shots in 32 games; she already has amassed 41 through 23 games this season. Her single-season best is 47 rejections, which she accomplished her freshman campaign. Her 41 blocks this season rank fourth-best in a single-season for an Iowa senior.
• Wendy Ausdemore’s 13 points on Sunday increased her career scoring total to 1,211. The Hawkeyes now have three seniors (Ausdemore, Smith and Skouby) who have over 1,200 career points.
• Kachine Alexander, who stands 5-9, leads the team and ranks sixth in Big Ten rebounding, pulling down 8.5 per contest.
• Kristi Smith has reached double figures a team-best 18 times this year, including the last 10 contests.
• Iowa players have corralled double-digit rebounds 19 times this season. Kachine Alexander has accomplished the feat a team-best 10 times, JoAnn Hamlin six times, Wendy Ausdemore twice and Megan Skouby once. The last time an Iowa player controlled double-digit rebounds 10 times or more in a season was Jenee Graham (11), during the 2006-07 season.
• Iowa has an RPI rating of 32nd in the country and strength of schedule that ranks 19th. Iowa has five wins over teams ranked in the RPI top-50, including two ranked in the top 25. Penn State is rated 99th in the RPI and 25th in strength of schedule. The numbers are based on the report published Feb. 13.
HAWKEYES UPSET NO. 13 OHIO STATE, 85-75
Iowa used a 19-0 run at the end of the first half to propel the Hawkeyes to an 85-75 triumph over No. 13 Ohio State Thursday night in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes led by double digits for most of the second half. The Buckeyes closed to within five points with 1:38 remaining, but Iowa sank its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Four Hawkeye starters scored in double figures: Kristi Smith (20), Kamille Wahlin (19), Kachine Alexander (16) and Wendy Ausdemore (14). Alexander scored 14 of her 16 points from the free throw line. Her 14-18 shooting from the foul line are Carver-Hawkeye Arena records for makes and attempted, by an Iowa player. She also corralled a game-high 14 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Wahlin’s 19 points is a personal best, while she also dished out a team-high five assists. Smith’s 20 points was bolstered by a perfect 10-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender netted a game-high 32 points. She also had 10 rebounds.
LAST OUTING TIP-INS
• Iowa snapped a 10-game losing skid to the Buckeyes with its 10-point victory (85-75). The series is now tied 25-25 after 50 meetings. Iowa has now recorded two victories over ranked opponents this season (#22 Iowa State and #13 Ohio State).
• Iowa has won 18 of its last 19 contests in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to last season. Iowa boasts an 11-1 home record this year.
• Iowa trailed 34-28 with 5:32 left in the first half, but closed the half on a 19-0 run to lead 47-34 at intermission. The 47 points, in the first half, match a season high for the Hawkeyes in a half (Texas State).
• The Hawkeyes dominated the Buckeyes from the free throw line. Iowa attempted 23 more free throws than Ohio State. Iowa was 26-32 (.813), while Ohio State was only 3-9 (.333).
• After missing the last five games due to an injured ankle, JoAnn Hamlin returned to action playing 18 minutes off the bench. She missed her five field goal attempts, but did grab three rebounds and had an assist and a block.
• Iowa shot 56.7 percent (17-30) from the field in the first half and 45 percent (27-60) for the game. The Hawkeyes’ field goal percentage was bolstered by 5-11 (.455) shooting from distance.
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa returns home to host the Wisconsin Badgers next Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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