Jan. 4, 2011

• 'Kash' Alexander: All-America Candidate
  
• Vote 'Kash' For Premier Player Award
  
• Women's Basketball - W.I.N. Video
  
• Buy Women's Basketball Tickets
• Iowa and the Big Ten Network
• Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
  
• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

PARDON OUR PROGRESS! As friends of the University of Iowa and fans of the Hawkeyes know, the UI Athletics Department is well into a multi-million dollar revitalization of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This important and exciting project has reduced for this season the number of ticket windows that are operational on game nights. Fans attending the home events of the 2010-11 UI men's basketball, women's basketball and wrestling teams are invited to avoid game night delays by purchasing their event tickets online or in advance of game day. If your schedule doesn't allow for an advance purchase, we recommend you consider arriving at the Arena a little earlier than originally planned. Go Hawks!

Minnesota Game Notes in PDF Format

IOWA CITY, Iowa - THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women's basketball team travels to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Tip-off at Williams Arena is slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday.

AUDIO COVERAGE
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call Wednesday's game for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City, AM-600 WMT in Cedar Rapids, AM-1040 WHO in Des Moines or on the Hawkeye All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com. Balbinot is in his seventh season as Iowa's play-by-play voice, while Till is in her sixth providing analysis.

ON YOUR COMPUTER
Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats. The live stats link can be accessed under the "Calendar" tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women's basketball schedule page.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,049 games, since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa's overall record is 641-409 (.611). That includes a 318-160 (.665) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 303-88 (.775) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

WIN NO. 300 AT HOME
The UI women's basketball program picked up victory No. 300 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a 90-79 win over Central Michigan Nov. 21. The Hawkeyes have compiled a 303-88 (.775) record inside their home venue since it opened in 1983.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 8-7 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play.

In their last game, the Golden Gophers were defeated at home by Indiana, 80-79, in overtime. Four players scored double figures, led by a team-high 21 points by China Antoine. Katie Loberg had 15 points, Brianna Mastey had 13 points and seven rebounds and Jackie Voigt had 12 points and eight rebounds. Antoine added four assists and six steals.

Leah Cotton leads Minnesota with 15.1 points per game, followed by Kiara Buford at 14.9 points. Voigt is the team's best rebounder, averaging seven boards per contest.

As a team, Minnesota is shooting .443 (357-806) from the field, including .337 (65-193) from three-point distance.

IOWA VS. MINNESOTA NOTES
• Iowa leads the all-time series, 42-22. The Hawkeyes have won five of the previous seven matchups against the Golden Gophers. Iowa won 20-straight games over Minnesota between 1983-94. The Hawkeyes are 16-13 in games played at Minnesota.

• Iowa's Theairra Taylor and Minnesota's Kiara Buford are from the same hometown (St. Paul, MN) and attended the same high school (St. Paul Central). • Iowa's Trisha Nesbitt and Minnesota's Kionna Kellog are both from Ames, IA and were high school teammates at Ames High School.

• Iowa has four players from Minnesota on its roster, including Kachine Alexander (Minneapolis), Kamille Wahlin (Crookston), Hannah Draxten (Fergus Falls) and Theairra Taylor (St. Paul). The Golden Gophers have seven players from Minnesota on their roster.

• Iowa and Minnesota both played Virginia Tech and Southern this season. Minnesota defeated Virginia Tech, 63-58 at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and also defeated Southern at home, 63-48. The Hawkeyes opened the season with a 76-52 win over Southern at the Islander Tip-Off Tournament in Corpus Christi, TX. Iowa knocked off Virginia Tech, 72-43, at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun.

LAST MEETING
Iowa defeated Minnesota, 75-54, Feb. 18 last season in Iowa City.

Iowa sprinted out to a 26-10 lead in the first 9:06, and took a 50-28 lead into halftime. The Hawkeyes maintained their advantage during a Minnesota run in the second half to walk away with the 21-point victory.

The Hawkeyes outscored Minnesota, 27-20, in the paint, and converted eight Minnesota turnovers into 14 points.

Four starters scored double figures, led by 15 points by Kamille Wahlin. Kachine Alexander turned in a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Jaime Printy added 15 points and Morgan Johnson chipped in 12.

IOWA IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 21 in the AP poll. The most recent ESPN/USA Today poll had not been released at press time.

Four Iowa opponents are also ranked in the AP poll: North Carolina (8th), Michigan State (11th), Iowa State (17th) and Ohio State (20th).

Michigan and Northwestern are receiving votes.

MICHIGAN KNOCKS OFF IOWA
The Hawkeyes dropped their second-straight Big Ten game to open the conference season, losing 60-53 to Michigan in Iowa City.

Iowa couldn't overcome a tough shooting night. The Hawkeyes finished 20-51 (.392) from the field, including just .222 (4-18) from three-point range.

Jaime Printy led Iowa with 18 points and Morgan Johnson added 13. Kachine Alexander was just one point shy of a double-double, recording nine points and 15 rebounds.

PRINTY SETS SCHOOL RECORD VS. MICHIGAN
Jaime Printy's 15 three-point attempts vs. Michigan Jan. 2 set a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record for three-pointers attempted in a single game. The previous record was 13, held by Alabama's Arneda Yarbrough (March 20, 1994).

Printy also tied the Iowa single-game record for three-pointers attempted. Kamille Wahlin set that record last season with 15 three-point attempts at Penn State (Dec. 28, 2009).

KASH CLOSE TO A GRAND
Kachine Alexander is close to becoming the 27th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

Alexander needs just seven more points to hit the 1,000 mark. She currently has 993 points.

MORE ON KASH
Kachine Alexander would be the eighth player in school history to collect 1,000 career points and 700 career rebounds. She would be just the third player in Iowa history to amass 1,000 career points, 700 career rebounds and 200 career assists.

JOHNSON AT .500 OR BETTER
If Morgan Johnson takes eight or more shots in a game, chances are she will make at least half of them.

Johnson has attempted eight or more shots in 11 of Iowa's 15 games this year. In those 11 games, Johnson has shot .500 or better eight times.

Johnson has attempted 10 or more shots five times, shooting. 500 or better in each game. Johnson was 8-13 (.615) against Northeastern, 10-16 (.625) against Central Michigan, 8-11 (.727) vs. Iowa State, 9-12 (.750) vs. South Dakota State and 5-10 (.500) vs. Michigan.

BLUDER REACHES MILESTONE
With a 75-71 win at Drake Dec. 20, Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder became only the second coach in school history to reach the 200-win milestone.

Bluder currently has 201 wins in her 11 years at Iowa. C. Vivian Stringer is the only other Hawkeye head coach to reach the 200-win plateau at Iowa, finishing her time in Iowa City with 269 wins.

Ohio State Head Coach Jim Foster is the only other active Big Ten coach to have reached 200 wins at his/her current school.

HAWKEYES DOMINATING THE PAINT
Iowa is racking up the points in the lane through 15 games.

The Hawkeyes have scored 20 or more paint points in all but one game (Bradley, 16) this season and have netted 30 or more points seven times. Iowa has outscored its opponents, 426-380 in the paint so far and the Hawkeyes are averaging 28.4 points in the paint per game.

Iowa has recorded more paint points than its opponents in 10 games this season.

AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Iowa currently leads the Big Ten with a .767 free throw percentage. Jaime Printy ranks third in the league at .889 (40-45).

BALANCED SCORING ATTACK
Iowa is one of only three teams in the Big Ten to have four players ranked among the top 30 scorers in the conference.

Iowa, Ohio State and Northwestern each have four players ranked. Wisconsin has three, while the remaining six schools have either one or two players ranked.

The Hawkeyes have had at least three players reach double figures in scoring in 14 of the 15 games this year. Five players scored 10 or more points against Bradley. Four players hit double digits against Northeastern, Central Michigan and Kansas State.

HAWKEYES HITTING THE BOARDS
Iowa's rebounding numbers through its first 15 games are impressive. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in total rebounding (43.4 per game) and rebounding margin (+6.9) and rank second in offensive rebounding (14.5 per game), defensive rebounding (28.9).

Kachine Alexander ranks first in the league in offensive rebounding (3.4 per game), while Morgan Johnson ranks second (3.3 per game). Alexander's 18 rebounds against Central Michigan, Nov. 21, are tied for the most by any Big Ten player this season.

TOP FIVE IN THE BIG TEN
Four of Iowa's starters rank in the top five in the Big Ten in different statistical categories.

• Kachine Alexander ranks first in offensive rebounding (3.4 per game) and third in total rebounding (9.2 per game).

• Morgan Johnson ranks second in offensive rebounding (3.3 per game) and third in blocks (2.4 per game).

• Jaime Printy ranks second in three-pointers made (2.3 per game) and third in free throw percentage (.889).

• Kamille Wahlin is tied for fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3).

MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS
Four Hawkeyes are currently working their way up the career records lists at Iowa.

• Kachine Alexander ranks second in career double-doubles (27), eighth in career rebounding (753), 13th in career assists (270) and 27th in career scoring (993). She needs 37 more rebounds to move past Amy Herrig for seventh place on the rebounding list and nine assists to tie Laurie Aaron and Necole Tunsil for 12th on the assists list. She needs nine more double-doubles to take over first place (Lisa Long, 35).

• Morgan Johnson ranks fourth in career blocks (115) and needs 31 more to move past Toni Foster into third place.

• Kamille Wahlin ranks sixth in career three-pointers made (135) and needs two more to move past Kristi Faulkner into fifth place.

• Jaime Printy ranks eighth in career three-pointers made (117) and needs two more to move past Nadine Domond for seventh place.