Big Ten Network : Iowa Top Stories

Iowa bolsters BCS hopes, shuts out Gophers

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:29:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With a bronze pig on the line, No. 15 Iowa put a new twist on winning ugly -- this time by taking a game that featured more punts than points. James Vandenberg threw for 117 yards, fellow freshman Brandon Wegher ran for a touchdown and Iowa kept alive its hopes for a BCS bowl bid by beating Minnesota 12-0 on Saturday. The victory gave the Hawkeyes (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) double-digit victories for the first time since 2004, along with Floyd of Rosedale -- the pig trophy awarded to the winner of the border rivalry -- for the eighth time in nine tries. A hog was the perfect prize for this one. Iowa and Minnesota combined for 17 punts and were only 5 of 33 on third-down conversions. But the Hawkeyes, who notched four wins this season by a total of eight points, won the battle to see which offense would be least ineffective. "We try to keep our trophies here," Iowa receiver Marvin McNutt said. "We don't like our trophies going anywhere else. It's great to have the pig with us." Iowa got field goals of 30 and 45 yards from Daniel Murray and a 1-yard TD run by Wegher, and its defense did the rest. The Hawkeyes stuffed the Gophers on four straight plays from the 2-yard line early in the fourth quarter to blank Minnesota for the second straight season. "They've played well all season long, so hats off to them. And we certainly needed a great effort out of them," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of his defense. Adam Weber was 14 of 40 for 153 yards for the Gophers (6-6, 3-5), who scored just seven points in road games against Penn State, Ohio State and the Hawkeyes. The Gophers offense finally caught a break when Vandenberg fumbled a snap that was recovered at Iowa's 29-yard line with 13:40 left. They got as far as the 2 after a pass interference call in the end zone on Iowa's Shaun Prater, but the Hawkeyes stopped a pair of runs and a pass before sacking Weber on fourth down. Minnesota's final shot came on fourth-and-10 at the Iowa 22 with 6:30 left, but Adrian Clayborn forced Weber out of the pocket and his pass into heavy coverage fell incomplete. Though the Gophers outgained Iowa 201-171, they went 4 of 20 on third down, 2 of 6 on fourth down and failed to convert on two trips inside Iowa's red zone. "We had opportunities we didn't take advantage of," Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said. "In a big game like this, taking advantage of opportunities you get is the key to the game." Murray's 45-yard field goal early in the third quarter put the Hawkeyes ahead 12-0. They kept a Minnesota drive alive after being called for roughing Blake Haudan, but Iowa stuffed Jon Hoese on fourth-and-1 at the Iowa 34 late in the third quarter. "This year has been more of an up-and-down rollercoaster," Weber said. "It takes all 11 guys to score. We tried running it, we tried throwing it. They were just better than us." Minnesota committed three turnovers in the first half. Iowa wasn't much better, gaining just 129 yards, but Wegher's leaping touchdown run with 52 seconds left made it 9-0. Minnesota's first solid drive ended on a muffed snap, which Iowa's Bruce Davis recovered at his own 17 early in the second quarter. Weber followed an intentional grounding penalty with another fumble, this time at the Hawkeyes 48. The Gophers got the ball back when Vandenberg's long third-down toss was picked off in the end zone by Marcus Sherels, but MarQueis Gray threw a pick after taking a handoff from Weber with 3:44 left in the first half, and Iowa capitalized with Wegher's plunge. Minnesota called its final timeout of the half before Murray's extra-point try, a move that appeared curious until the Gophers blocked the kick. Murray's 30-yard field goal gave Iowa a 3-0 lead on the game's first series. It turned out to be the Hawkeyes longest scoring drive of the day. Robinson, who missed two games with an ankle injury, left after taking a big hit midway through the second quarter and did not return. Robinson said after the game that he simply "tweaked" his ankle and sat out as a precaution. Iowa struggled to run the ball without him, with Wegher gaining just 26 yards on 15 carries. But after drubbing Minnesota 55-0 in the Metrodome last season, the Hawkeyes leaned on a stellar defensive effort to give Ferentz his fourth 10-win season. Iowa must wait for everyone else to wrap things up. Though the Hawkeyes bowed out of the national title race with a 17-10 defeat to Northwestern and lost the Big Ten's automatic BCS bid by falling at Ohio State, they're still very much in the mix for a BCS bid. For now, Ferentz and his players will kick back and take a break. "To win 10 games in any conference is significant," Ferentz said. "I'm going to enjoy this one, I promise you."

Moffet, Johnson help NU sweep away Iowa

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:51:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Behind a combined 32 kills from juniors Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) and Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and 21 digs from senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg), Northwestern overpowered Iowa 25-15, 25-17, 25-15 on Senior Night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The victory moves the Wildcats into sole possession of sixth place in the Big Ten standings, improving to 7-11 in the conference and 16-14 overall. One night after a rousing victory over Wisconsin, the junior tandem struck again as Moffett knocked down 17 kills with a .538 hitting percentage, complimented by Johnson's 15 kills and .565 hitting percentage. The duo also combined for eight blocks on the night, led by Moffett's one solo block and four assisted. As a team, Northwestern was firing on all cylinders against Iowa (12-18, 4-14 Big Ten), finishing with a .364 team hitting percentage compared to the Hawkeyes' .060. The Wildcats also held a 9-3 block advantage, a 42-21 assist edge and out-dug the Hawkeyes 38-23. Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) led all players with 37 assists while also knocking down five kills on six attempts for an .833 average and adding a pair of blocks. Redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) had four kills and two blocks while senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) and junior Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) each added a pair of kills. Gray also posted four blocks on the night while Baxterbeck's six digs was second for the 'Cats. Northwestern controlled the tempo from the opening serve of set one, notching six of the first seven points and never looked back. Behind six kills from Moffett, the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 11 at 24-13 before settling in for the 25-15 victory. With sole possession of sixth-place in the Big Ten just 25 points away, Northwestern took care of business in set three, racing out to a 10-3 lead on Iowa and again didn't look back. The Wildcats pushed their advantage to 10 at 24-14, and would hold onto that edge by taking set three 25-15 and sending the seniors out in style. Prior to the match, both Baxterbeck and Nobilio were honored on Senior Night. Baxterbeck ranks third on the team in kills (212) and is second in digs (255) in her best season as a Wildcat. With Nobilio's 21 digs on the night, she ups her season total to 490, needing just 10 more to become the first player in program history to record four 500-dig seasons. She also upped her career total to 2,155, leaving her 28 digs shy of moving into second-place all-time in Big Ten history. With its NCAA tournament hopes still alive, Northwestern returns to the court at Welsh-Ryan Arena one last time in 2009, taking on in-state rival and fifth-ranked Illinois Wednesday, Nov. 25 in its home finale. The match against the Illini will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with the opening serve set for 7:05 p.m.

Iowa shooting heats up; Bowling Green falls 68-46

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:17:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)—The struggling Iowa Hawkeyes found their touch Friday night and defeated Bowling Green 68-46 in a non-conference game. The Hawkeyes (1-2) had shot only 32.7 percent from the field and 20.4 percent on 3-pointers while dropping their first two games for the first time since the 1970-71 campaign. But they shot much better against the Falcons (1-2). Iowa hit 12 of 25 3-pointers for 48.0 percent and shot 47.1 percent overall for the game. Freshman Eric May drilled four 3-pointers and led a balanced attack with 16 points. Matt Gatens added 14 points and Anthony Tucker 13. Marc Larson led Bowling Green with 12 points. The Hawkeyes were in danger of starting a season 0-3 for the first time in 90 years, but they righted the ship against Bowling Green. Iowa missed seven of its first eight shots but used a 10-0 run to quickly take control.

Iowa falls to Illinois, 3-0

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, IL –The University of Iowa volleyball team fell to fifth-ranked Illinois tonight at Huff Hall. The Fighting Illini fought off the Hawkeyes in three sets (25-9, 25-18, 25-18). Senior Megan Schipper picked up her 77th career ace in the contest to become the ninth player in program history to rank in the top 20 in career kills, blocks and service aces. Schipper paced Hawkeye offense with six kills while junior Mara Hilgenberg led Iowa with eight digs and 22 assists. ""We didn't pass well tonight,"" said Head Coach Sharon Dingman. ""That's been a constant problem we've been addressing because when we play good defense we are a significantly better team. It has to start with first touch. It's something we'll focus on again tomorrow as we prepare for Northwestern tomorrow night."" Iowa fell into a one-set hole by dropping the opening frame, 25-9. Iowa used kills from junior Becky Walters and sophomore Mallory Husz to battle to an early 2-2 tie, but Illinois used a 10-point run later in the set to take a commanding 16-5 lead. Walters ended the Illini run with a block and later added a kill, but Illinois (14-3, 22-4) controlled the final six points of the frame and held on for the set victory. The Illini rode their first set momentum to a 25-18 win in set two. Schipper recorded back-to-back kills in the early going to tie the set, 3-3, but Illinois later used a six-point run to build a 12-4 advantage. Iowa would later pull within five points, 20-15, behind a 5-2 run that included kills from Husz, Schipper and freshman Emma Krieger Kittle, but Illinois was able to pull away at the end and take a 2-0 set lead. Schipper led the Hawkeyes in the second frame with four kills. Krieger Kittle added three kills off the bench and Hilgenberg dished 10 assists. The Hawkeyes stormed out of intermission to grab a 7-5 lead in the third frame. Consecutive aces by Schipper tied the set, 4-4, and kills from Huss and Krieger Kittle helped Iowa gain the early lead. The Illini would later battle back to build an eight-point edge, 18-10, before Iowa responded with blocks from Walters and Schipper to eventually pull within four points, 19-15. Illinois then ran away with six of the set's final nine points to win the set and take the 3-0 match victory.

Iowa's Alexander out with stress fracture

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

IOWA CITY – University of Iowa junior Kachine Alexander will be sidelined for approximately one month with a stress fracture in her right leg. Head Coach Lisa Bluder made the announcement Friday. Alexander, a 5-9 junior from Minneapolis, MN, recorded double-doubles in each of Iowa's first three games of the season. She was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week last week after earning MVP honors of the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge. Alexander scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Iowa's season-opening win over Santa Clara. She followed with a 21-point, 12-rebound performance against Illinois State. She scored 23 points and hauled in 17 rebounds against No. 19 Kansas Wednesday night. Alexander is the fifth Hawkeye player to suffer an injury early in the season. Senior JoAnn Hamlin had a blood clot removed in her leg, and is sidelined indefinitely. Sophomore Hannah Draxten will miss 1-2 weeks with a herniated disc in her back, while freshman Theairra Taylor will also miss 1-2 weeks with a fractured eye socket. Freshman Gabby Machado also missed Iowa's game against Santa Clara with an ankle sprain.

Iowa names new women's tennis coach

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa athletic department today announced that Katie Dougherty is the head coach of the women's tennis program. Dougherty is a five-year coaching veteran in the Big Ten conference, having spent time at Penn State and Wisconsin. The announcement came from Senior Associate Athletic Director Jane Meyer. "We are extremely excited to announce Katie Dougherty as our new women's tennis coach," said Meyer. "Katie brings coaching experiences from two other Big Ten institutions along with a Big Ten playing career. We are confident in her ability to teach and develop our student-athletes and to move our women's tennis program forward." Dougherty most recently served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Wisconsin, where she managed the day-to-day operations of the women's tennis program and served as a co-director of Badger summer tennis camps. Her 2008 and 2009 recruiting classes received national recognition from Tennisrecruiting.net. Dougherty served as an assistant coach at Penn State (2004-07) and American University (2003-04) before joining the Badgers. She helped guide American to the 2004 Patriot League title and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at the University of Iowa," said Dougherty. "I could not have been more impressed with Iowa's support staff, facilities and people. I want to thank Jane Meyer, Gary Barta and the search committee for granting me this opportunity. The excitement around Iowa athletics is incredible and I look forward to building a top notch tennis program." Before beginning her coaching career at the Western Racquet Club in 2003, Dougherty competed collegiately at Wisconsin (1999-2002). A four-year letterwinner for the Badgers, Dougherty finished her career with 45 singles victories. She was also a nationally-ranked doubles player, claiming 45 career doubles wins. Since 2008, Dougherty has been a Professional Tennis Registry Certified Professional. She was a nationally-ranked junior player in singles and doubles and was the 1997 Baltimore Sun Athlete of the Year. She graduated from Wisconsin in 2002 with a degree in English.

Kansas sends Iowa to season's first loss

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:42:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Throw out the first four minutes or the final six and the University of Iowa women's basketball team is celebrating its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since last February. Instead, the Hawkeyes battled hard before falling 66-55 to Kansas, ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll on Wednesday. It is Iowa's first loss in three outings this season. "I thought we played pretty well, we just ran out of gas the last six minutes," UI head coach Lisa Bluder said. "Kansas is a great team and they'll do terrific. I don't feel like this was an 11-point differential." The Hawkeyes trailed 11-0 after the first 4:01, but tied the score, 13-13, on a three-point field goal by Kachine Alexander with 11:51 left in the half. There were four more ties in a first half that saw Iowa snag a 24-21 advantage on a layup by Alexander with 2:10 left before the break. While Kansas had five players score 10 or more points, Alexander was the only Hawkeye in double figures with 23 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and a steal in 36 minutes. "I just try to do as much for my team as possible," Alexander said. "I was just trying to do what I could for my team." Kamille Wahlin chipped in with nine points for Iowa, followed by Morgan Johnson with eight and Kelly Krei with six. A turn-around jumper by Johnson off an assist from Jaime Printy with 6:41 left in the game gave the Hawkeyes a 54-51 lead. They would stay in front until Kansas point guard Angel Goodrich spun through the lane and made a layup in the paint with 5:51 remaining. The Jayhawks went on an 11-1 run from that point to improve to 2-0 overall. "I'm proud to bring a good team in here, be competitive and get out with a W," Kansas head coach Bonnie Hendrickson said. Hendrickson was an assistant coach at Iowa for two seasons from 1994-96. "I have fond memories of here." Iowa missed its first nine shots, but never gave up and slowly clawed its way back into the game. Alexander broke the ice for the Hawkeyes with a layup that triggered a 10-0 scoring run. Included in that flurry was a conventional three-point play by Alexander, a three-point field goal by Wahlin and a layup by Wahlin with an assist from Alexander. "It comes down to heart," Johnson said. "We could either give up or try harder. We tried harder." Printy led the Hawkeyes with five assists. Iowa will have its first road experience of the season Sunday when the Hawkeyes travel to in-state rival Northern Iowa with a 3 p.m. tipoff from the McLeod Center.

Late 3 helps Duquesne slip by Iowa, 52-50

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:48:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Duquesne made big shots all night, none bigger than a three-pointer delivered from the hands of Damian Saunders with less than 10-seconds remaining in Tuesday's game against Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes could not score in their final possession and lost to the Dukes, 52-50, on Tuesday in the O'Reilly CBE Classic. The Hawkeyes (0-2 overall) struggled all night from the field, but played tough defense to give them a shot for the victory. Iowa shot 18 of 57 (32 percent) from the floor, 6 of 27 (22 percent) from long range, and 8 of 15 (53 percent) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes held Duquesne in check in the second half, limiting the Dukes to 19 points. Iowa was led in scoring by Anthony Tucker with 16 points, Cully Payne had six assists, and Matt Gatens added nine points and eight rebounds. "It is going to be really hard to win shooting 32 percent," UI head coach Todd Lickliter said. "I told the team before we played `what if we do that again, we shot so poorly the other day, are we just going to say well we didn't shoot it well and use that excuse for it? Or are we going to make every hustle play and give ourselves a chance?' And we did, we won so many hustle plays today. Give Duquesne credit because they hit two big three's when they needed to have them." Both teams struggled to shoot in the early stages of the game. Duquesne's Bill Clark put the Dukes on the board with a short jumper. The Hawkeyes took the lead with 15:03 when Duquesne (2-0) stole a pass from Tucker. Tucker rushed back to steal the ball back near midcourt and dove on the ground to grab the ball. While he was on the floor he was able to get a pass to Eric May who made a layup for an 8-7 advantage. Duquesne regained the lead with a trey from Saunders to make it 12-8. The Hawkeyes pushed it within two with a layup from Tucker before the Dukes answered with a fast-break layup from Saunders. Gatens assisted Jarryd Cole inside for a layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw to trail by two points. "It is going to be really hard to win shooting 32 percent. I told the team before we played `what if we do that again, we shot so poorly the other day, are we just going to say well we didn't shoot it well and use that excuse for it? Or are we going to make every hustle play and give ourselves a chance?' And we did, we won so many hustle plays today. Give Duquesne credit because they hit two big three's when they needed to have them." UI head coach Todd Lickliter A layup by Tucker put the Hawkeyes ahead and Cole hit a long range two-pointer for a 19-16 advantage with 6:05 remaining. Saunders than went on a tear, scoring seven straight points for the Dukes for a 23-19 lead before Iowa's Devan Bawinkel hit from the left side of the arc to move within one-point. The Dukes went on a 10-0 run after Bawinkel's three-pointer. The Hawkeyes went into the locker room picking up some momentum when Gatens threw up a shot from the right corner of the arc as time was expiring and was fouled. He made all three of his free throws to trail 33-25 at the end of the half. The second half started off with a bang when Clark drained one from downtown and Tucker answered it with one of his own from the top of the key. A few possessions later Aaron Fuller rebounded a Cole misfire and kicked it out to Cully Payne who drew the defenders toward him and assisted Fuller right back down low for an uncontested layup as the Hawkeyes cut it to a six-point deficit. Clark remained a hot shooter and drained another three-ball for a commanding 41-30 advantage. May assisted Brennan Cougill down low for a dunk and he was fouled on the play and hit from the charity stripe to cut it to a single-digit lead. Tucker drilled a three with 13:36 left in the game to slim the margin to 41-36. The Hawkeyes continued to show hustle when Tucker had an ill-advised pass to Duquesne, the Dukes looked like they had an easy fastbreak layup before May came out of nowhere to block the shot. The block went out of bounds as the Dukes retained possession, but were not able to score off of the inbounds play. Tucker continued to give the Dukes problems when he went hard to the basket and was fouled before he hit the layup and made the latter free throw to trail 44-39. Tucker's three attempt bounced in-and-out and Cougill was able to muscle his way for a rebound and put it back up to get within three with less than seven-minutes remaining for the game. A free throw and layup by Cole cut the Dukes lead to 46-44. As time expired on the shot clock Gatens threw one up from downtown and swished it from the top of the key to take their first lead since early in the first half at 47-46 with 2:50 to go. With momentum on their side Saunders went up hard to the basket and made it, but Cole planted his feet and Saunders was called for the charge to give the Hawkeyes the ball. "I feel like we are doing a great job," Tucker said. "I feel like we are playing well enough defensively to win. I think it is a good problem to have to try and generate offense from somewhere. It is better than not being able to stop people from scoring." The Dukes came surging right back as Jason Duty hit a three from behind-the-arc to regain a two-point advantage. A possession later Gatens drove the lane and missed a layup attempt as Cougill grabbed the loose ball. He put it up and made the basket while getting fouled and hit a free throw for a one-point lead with a minute left in the game. Saunders hit an off-balance three attempt with 10-seconds remaining to give the Dukes a two point lead. Tucker pushed the ball up the court and missed a fade-away and the Hawkeyes recovered and called a timeout. May was blocked on the inbounds pass to end the game.

Preview: Minnesota-Iowa

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +0000

First, Iowa's national title hopes disappeared. Next, a potential Rose Bowl spot went out the window. A third consecutive loss to end the regular season might feel just as devastating. The 15th-ranked Hawkeyes look to pick up the pieces, not to mention avoid dwelling on what might have been, as they host Minnesota on Saturday. Iowa (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) entered this month fourth in the BCS standings, having won its first nine games for the first time in school history. The Hawkeyes continued to have their doubters because only one victory was against a ranked opponent and four were by three points or less. The skeptics were proven right Nov. 7 when the Hawkeyes were knocked out of the BCS national title picture with a shocking 17-10 home loss to Northwestern. Last Saturday, their effort was considered to be a much better one but the result was the same, falling 27-24 in overtime at then-No. 10 Ohio State. While the Buckeyes grabbed the Big Ten's bid to the Rose Bowl, the Hawkeyes' fate changed so much in just two weeks. Now they must win to have any shot of making a BCS bowl or to claim a share of the conference title - Ohio State would have to lose at Michigan for the latter to happen. "This is a big game," offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga said. "We're at two losses right now, but there's still an opportunity to get to a good bowl game if we win this game. There's a lot riding on this." A loss would prevent the Hawkeyes from posting the fourth 10-win regular season in school history and first since 2002, and there's a chance it could drop them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since September. "We have an awful lot left to play for," coach Kirk Ferentz told the school's official Web site. "We would like to finish up on a positive note." The losses coincide with the injury to starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who hurt his ankle in the first half against Northwestern. James Vandenberg came off the bench to go 9 of 27 for 82 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, then he was picked off three times last Saturday in his first career start. The redshirt freshman also took a third-down sack that knocked Iowa out of field-goal range in overtime, but Vandenberg did help Iowa rally from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and finished 20 of 33 for 233 yards with a touchdown. "James played with great, great poise," Ferentz said. "He showed great mental toughness and hung in there and kept competing. It was a great, great effort." Vandenberg will start again Saturday, though Stanzi may return for Iowa's bowl game. Stanzi threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawkeyes won 55-0 at Minnesota last season for their seventh victory in the last eight meetings. The Gophers have lost four in a row at Iowa City since a 25-21 win in 1999. Minnesota (6-5, 3-4) is looking to halt a 13-game skid against ranked opponents that dates to a win at Michigan on Oct. 8, 2005. Three of those defeats have come this season by a combined 93-28 score. Another blowout could be in store considering the Gophers struggled to beat a Football Championship Subdivision opponent last Saturday, needing Eric Ellestad's 25-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining to defeat South Dakota State 16-13. "Am I pleased about how the game was played? Certainly I'm not," coach Tim Brewster said after his team was held to 231 yards of offense. Minnesota has yet to hold a Big Ten foe under 20 points and has lost three of its last four conference games. The only win in that span saw Adam Weber throw for 416 yards and five touchdowns against Michigan State. In his other five outings over the past six weeks, Weber has thrown for 602 yards with one TD and seven interceptions.

Hawkeyes stunned by Texas-San Antonio, 62-50

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:02:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Morris Smith IV led five players in double figures with 16 points and Texas-San Antonio stunned Iowa 62-50, snapping the Hawkeyes' 46-game winning streak in home openers. Terry Fields, Devin Gibson and freshman Melvin Johnson III each added 12 for the Roadrunners, who opened the second half on a 17-3 run and never looked back in shocking the youthful Hawkeyes. Texas-San Antonio (1-0) pushed a two-point halftime lead to as much as 16 early in the second half, as Smith and Gibson buried 3-pointers to give the Roadrunners their first double-digit lead. Iowa (0-1) pulled within 56-50 with just under 3 minutes left, but Matt Gatens threw the ball away under the Hawkeyes' basket and Texas-San Antonio iced it at the free-throw line. Freshman Eric May had 13 points to lead the Hawkeyes, who last lost a home opener in the 1962-63 season to Ohio, 62-54. With just two upperclassmen on the roster, Iowa is expected to struggle this season. But few thought the Hawkeyes could be run out of their own gym by a team picked to finish third in the Southland Conference's West division. That's exactly what happened, though, as Iowa shot 5-of-27 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers. Perhaps no sequence symbolized the Hawkeyes' woes like the one that came during Texas-San Antonio's decisive run early in the second half. May muffed an easy pass near midcourt as Iowa was trying to start its offense, and Fields took it back for a layup that pushed the Roadrunners' lead to 43-29 with 15:37 left. Threes from Matt Gatens and Cully Payne and a layup by May helped Iowa pull within 47-39 midway through the second half. May's bucket with 4:27 left cut the lead to 54-49, but that would be Iowa's last field goal. Iowa's inexperience was clearly evident against the Roadrunners, who started four seniors and a junior. Johnson gave the Roadrunners an early boost with four threes -- including a wide-open shot from the corner -- to help Texas-San Antonio jump ahead 24-19 with just under 5 minutes left in the first half. Sunday night's loss emphasized just how much of a rebuilding year it's expected to be for the Hawkeyes, who lost four players -- including starters Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson -- to offseason transfers. Iowa started three sophomores; guard Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker and forward Aaron Fuller, plus freshman point guard Cully Payne on Sunday. Hawkeyes junior center Jarryd Cole is the only player who's been with the program for three seasons -- and even he missed most of his freshman year with a knee injury. Payne had 12 points in his debut and Cole added 13 rebounds. Texas-San Antonio, on the other hand, brought back three starters from a team that finished 19-13 last season. The Roadrunners threw a major scare into Iowa last season in Iowa City before falling 73-67, and this time they finished the job in surprisingly easy fashion.

Iowa tops Illinois St., wins Hawkeye Challenge

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:42:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Kachine Alexander doesn't just talk about "hustle plays," she lives them. The University of Iowa junior had four steals and many other aggressive contributions that don't always show up in a box score to lead the Hawkeyes to the championship and earn most valuable player honors at the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge on Sunday. "What do you say about Kachine?" UI head coach Lisa Bluder said. "If people don't want to come watch her play, they're just silly. They're missing an opportunity to see a player that is so good at crashing and keeping the ball alive and continuing to persevere." Alexander scored 21 points with 12 rebounds, four steals, four assists and two blocked shots as Iowa defeated Illinois State, 75-67, in the tournament final. The Hawkeyes are off to a 2-0 start for the third time in the last four seasons. The Redbirds, favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, fall to 1-1. Alexander was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore point guard Kamille Wahlin. Wahlin was the second of four Hawkeyes to score in double figures with 15. Her three-point field goal with 3 minutes, 51 seconds remaining gave Iowa the lead for good at 64-63. On the preceding Hawkeye series, Wahlin fed the ball inside to center Morgan Johnson, who was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws to pull Iowa within 63-61. Seven straight Hawkeye points came from the free throw line from 10:04 until Wahlin's trey. "Sometimes your shots fall and sometimes they don't," Wahlin said. "When I got my feet set on the one three-pointer, it felt good and it went in. Your focus has to be on finishing the game." Did the Hawkeyes ever finish the game. Illinois State was stuck on 63 points from the 6:18 mark until Maggie Krick converted a layup with 1:05 left, cutting Iowa's advantage to 68-65. The Redbirds led by five points twice during the second half, including a 56-51 edge with 10:20 left. "I'm really proud of our players for this win," Bluder said. "This is a great victory for us. It shows how much character these women have to be able to hold their heads high after what they've been through. Losing four players in one week's time is tough for any team to handle." The injured list for the Hawkeyes includes senior JoAnn Hamlin (blood clot in her leg), sophomore Hannah Draxten (disc in back), and freshmen Gabby Machado (ankle) and Theairra Taylor (facial injury). Iowa attempted 26 three-point field goals (making nine) against Illinois State and the Hawkeyes were 22 of 30 from the free throw line. Sophomore Kelly Krei, known for her speed and athleticism, dialed long distance four times in the first half and shared game-high scoring honors with 12 points at the break. "Kelly hits four three-pointers in the first half and that was just tremendous," Bluder said. "She took advantage of what they were giving her." Krei finished with 15 points. The other Hawkeye in double figures was freshman Jaime Printy, who totaled 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. "Jaime's maturity showed out there," Bluder said. "She didn't look like a freshman. She didn't get nervous down the stretch." Printy scored 11 points in the second half. She sank a three-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining to cut into a five-point Illinois State lead. One of her most impressive plays was with 65 seconds remaining. Printy drove the lane, challenged Redbird 6-foot-5 center Nicolle Lewis, and made a field goal that extended Iowa's lead to five points. Only six Iowa players were on the court for 16 or more minutes. The lone bench points for the Hawkeyes came on a first-half three-pointer by Kelsey Cermak. So without depth, Iowa relied on hustle. So what was Alexander's favorite "hustle play" in a game full of them? "Probably running into my coaches," Alexander said with a laugh. "I guess the last one. It was at the end of the game -- the off-the-leg one." Even with just 3.1 seconds remaining and the Hawkeyes holding an insurmountable eight-point lead, Alexander was still searching for hustle plays. She batted a ball off the leg of an Illinois State player, who helplessly watched it roll out-of-bounds and over to the victorious Hawkeyes. Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to play Kansas with a 7 p.m. tip. Paraphrasing the words of Bluder, it's more than silly to not want to watch Alexander and the Hawkeyes in action. It's a shame.

Hawkeyes take down Santa Clara in opener

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:40:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -The Iowa women's basketball team began the 2009-10 season with a different look than they expected only a week ago. The Hawkeyes, without senior center JoAnn Hamlin or sophomore forward Hannah Draxten, were able to defeat Santa Clara, 67-51, Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hamlin was hospitalized last Sunday with a blood clot in her right leg. Her status is indefinite as the clot is so serious that it could threaten her ability to play this season, or ever again. She is still in intensive care. Draxten received an injection in her lower back after suffered a herniated disc and will be sidelined until at least Wednesday. Morgan Johnson replaced Hamlin in the post while Jamie Printy took over for Draxten on the wing. Sophomore Kamille Wahlin and junior Kachine Alexander started at guard while sophomore Kelly Krei rounded out the lineup at the other forward spot. After maintaining a slight edge for the majority of the first half, Iowa went on an 8-0 run to open an11-point lead with seven minutes and three seconds remaining following a transition lay-up by Wahlin. The fast break came off of one of 13 turnovers forced by the Hawkeyes in the first half. While Iowa had four steals, the Broncos were their own worst enemy as they were repeatedly called for traveling. Santa Clara answered with their own 9-0 run and came within two points of evening the score four minutes and seventeen seconds before the break. Iowa was able to increase their lead to five points, up 31-26 at the half. Johnson was a bright spot for the Hawkeyes. She filled in well for Iowa's eldest member, scoring 13 of her 15 points on 6 of 11 attempts in the opening period. "I thought Morgan did a nice job in her first start at the center position. She shot the ball well, she rebounded well, so I was very pleased with her play," said Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. Johnson's teammates did not have as much success finding the bottom of the net, as Iowa shot only 35-percent from the field in the first half. Points off turnovers and second chance points accounted for 16 points - over half of Iowa's first half output. Despite those numbers, Johnson gave all the credited her success to the women around her. "I draw a lot from my teammates. They're just great people and they've helped me to do what I could do today," said Johnson. Iowa's first half shooting woes were nowhere to be seen after the break. Alexander came out strong, amassing double-double in the second half alone. She totaled 19 points and 18 rebounds, helping Iowa out-rebound Santa Clara 29 to 14 in the second half. "I was pleased with our rebounding today. I thought we did a good job on the boards. Kachine was spectacular, once again. When she does that it just energizes our whole team," said Bluder. Alexander's 18 rebounds tied a Hawkeye Challenge tournament record set in 1985. "All the coaches have been telling me, `Just try to get in their and get some rebounds, maybe get a few tips.' You never know what's going to happen," said Alexander. The Hawkeyes shot over 40-percent in the second period, as they steadily built a hefty lead. By scoring consistently and holding Santa Clara to 33-percent shooting, Iowa led by as many as 24 points with nine minutes and 31 seconds remaining. Bluder's half-time talk targeted Bronco guard Alyssa Shoji, who was 5 for 7 in the first half for 13 points. "We talked a lot about containing number 10. She had half their points, including three threes. We talked about locating her in the second half." Shoji had only three points in second half and misfired on all of her three-point attempts. The Hawkeyes' typically shoot well from downtown, but their defense and rebounding won them the game today. Iowa shot only 18-percent from beyond the arc, but that won't change Bluder's future game plans. "I think you have to win in a variety of ways. We didn't drop them tonight, but we are a three point shooting team so we will continue to fire away."

Ohio State boots Iowa in overtime, 27-24

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:50:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The oldest of the Buckeyes sent Ohio State back to the Granddaddy of all bowls. Devin Barclay, a 26-year-old former pro soccer player, kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime to give Ohio State (No. 11 BCS, No. 10 AP) a 27-24 victory Saturday over Iowa (No. 10 BCS, No. 15 AP) and send the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 13 years. "None of our kids have gone to the Rose Bowl. I haven't been there in 25 years [since] I was an assistant coach in the 1985 Rose Bowl," coach Jim Tressel said. "There's nothing like it. It's a great feeling." The Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1) clinched at least a share of their fifth consecutive Big Ten title and the conference's automatic BCS bid. "It means everything to us," linebacker Austin Spitler said. "Senior day, we're going to remember this for the rest of our lives. This is a special moment." Iowa (9-2, 5-2), which overcame a 24-10 deficit with just over 11 minutes left, lost its second in a row. Redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg was solid for the Hawkeyes in his first college start. But filling in for the injured Ricky Stanzi -- who hurt his ankle in last week's upset loss to Northwestern -- Vandenberg was intercepted three times, the final time to end Iowa's only possession in overtime. Brandon Saine rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns and Dan Herron added another score for the Buckeyes. Iowa started overtime with an incompletion. Then freshman Adam Robinson was thrown for a 6-yard loss by Spitler, and Doug Worthington sacked Vandenberg for a 10-yard loss. Out of field goal range on fourth-and-26, Vandenberg then lofted a long pass into the end zone that was picked off by Anderson Russell. The Buckeyes handled the ball with extra care -- just the way Tressel wanted. Three runs up the middle netted two yards. On came Barclay, the Buckeyes' front-line kicker since taking over after starter Aaron Pettrey injured a knee three games ago. "We had so much confidence in Devin that we were going backwards to make his kick longer," Tressel cracked. Still, Tressel admitted, he was on the headphones as Barclay made contact with the ball, telling the offensive coaches in the press box to have a play ready for the next possession in overtime in case Barclay missed. Instead, his kick split the uprights, touching off a wild scene as thousands rushed the field. "It's unbelievable. I'm speechless," said Barclay, a former Major League Soccer player who walked on for the Buckeyes. "The fourth quarter definitely made it interesting. I'm just glad we came out on top -- and now we're going to the Rose Bowl." A cadre of state police surrounded the goal posts, preventing anyone from tearing them down. But that didn't prevent the frenzied crowd from mobbing the Buckeyes players, snapping pictures and joining the team in singing the alma mater. The Buckeyes haven't been to Pasadena since the 1996 team finished No. 2 in the nation, scoring in the final minute to beat Arizona State 20-17 in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State does not want to duplicate one aspect of that season, however -- those Buckeyes were perfect all year until losing 13-9 to Michigan in the regular-season finale. Ohio State plays at its archrival next Saturday. Iowa, a 17-point underdog, overcame several dropped passes and other mistakes to tie it at 10 on Vandenberg's 9-yard slant pass to Marvin McNutt midway through the third period. Coach Kirk Ferentz told his team earlier this week that it needed to play a perfect game to win. "We didn't quite do it," he said. "Maybe if we had, we might have won. This was a heck of a challenge." The Buckeyes counter-punched, putting together a 79-yard drive. Terrelle Pryor -- who completed 14 of 17 passes for 93 yards and ran for 29 more yards -- engineered a march that resulted in Herron taking a direct snap and sweeping right, stiff-arming Brett Greenwood and then turning the corner for the go-ahead score with 13:03 left. Vandenberg then tossed his second interception, picked off by Ross Homan. On the first play from the Iowa 49, Saine took the ball on a quick-hitter off left tackle and outraced everyone for a 24-10 lead. The 14-point margin was short-lived, however. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos dropped the ensuing kickoff, picked it up, shed a tackle and raced to the right sideline where he sidestepped another potential tackler before sprinting 99 yards for the fourth-longest return in Iowa history. Barclay missed a 47-yard field goal that might have salted it away, and Vandenberg made several big plays on the next drive -- after Brian Rolle's interception return for a touchdown was wiped out by an Ohio State offside penalty. Vandenberg, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 233 yards and two scores, then threw a pass directly to two Buckeyes but it popped up in the air and tight end Tony Moeaki quickly grabbed it for a 16-yard pickup. Vandenberg flipped a high pass into the end zone where McNutt pulled it in with two hands over defender Chimdi Chekwa to tie it at 24. "Man, this was great," Ohio State offensive lineman Jim Cordle said. "I'm bruised. I'm battered. But we're victorious, man. We did it."

Gophers sweep Hawkeyes

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:23:00 +0000

The 13th-ranked Minnesota volleyball team (20-7, 11-4) defeated Iowa (12-16, 4-12) in three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-13, 28-26 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Nov. 13. With the Minnesota win and an Illinois loss to Penn State, the Golden Gophers moved to within one match of second place at 11-4. Minnesota was led by freshman Tabitha Love (Dauphin, Manitoba) who hit .500 (15-2-26) with 15 kills and two blocks. Junior middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) hit .364 (10-2-22) with 10 kills and three blocks. Gibbemeyer became the 21st player in school history to collect 1,000 career kills at 4-1 in the first set. She also became the sixth player in school history to have 1,000 career kills and over 400 blocks. Junior outside hitter Hailey Cowles (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also had eight kills, seven digs, a career-high four service aces and two blocks. Freshman Katherine Harms (Albertville, Minn.) also had a career-high eight kills. Senior setter Taylor Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) collected 39 assists, four kills and eight digs, while senior libero Christine Tan (Safety Harbor, Fla.) had a match-high 16 digs and four assists. Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) had 10 digs, two assists and a service ace, while Jessica Granquist (Blaine, Minn.) had eight digs and an assist. Minnesota jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set after Carico finished a 5-0 run with a kill. The Golden Gophers expanded it to 10-3 on a kill by Love. After the score moved to 12-5, Minnesota scored five of the next seven points to take a 17-7 lead. Iowa scored two straight points to cut the lead to 17-9, but the Golden Gophers ripped off four straight points, and moved ahead 21-9 on back-to-back service aces by Cowles. Love eventually moved it to set point at 24-13 with a kill, and the Golden Gophers won the first set after a Hawkeye attack error. The Golden Gophers outhit Iowa .387 to .077, and had 16 kills to seven. Love led the way with five kills in the set. Minnesota jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set after a kill by Cowles. With the score at 12-8, the Golden Gophers went on a 5-0 run and expanded their lead to 17-8 on a kill by Gibbemeyer. Minnesota pushed it 21-10 after a service ace by Carico. That closed out an extended 9-2 run for the Golden Gophers. Harms delivered a kill to make it set point at 24-12, and closed out the set with a kill to give Minnesota a 25-13 victory in second set. The Golden Gophers outhit Iowa .389 to .053 in the second set, and had 17 kills to seven. Cowles, Love and Gibbemeyer each collected four kills in the set. Iowa jumped out to a six-point lead in third set at 14-8, and kept a five-point lead at 18-13. Minnesota responded with kills from Gibbemeyer and Love, and a service ace by Cowles to make it 18-16. Love and Carico followed with consecutive kills to tie the set at 18. The Hawkeyes stayed ahead at 19-18 and 20-19, before a service error and a Harms kill gave the Golden Gophers their first lead of the set at 21-20. Ariana Filho (Monument, Colo.) and Love built that lead to 23-20 with consecutive solo blocks. Love delivered a kill to make it match point at 24-22, however Iowa responded with back-to-back points to tie the set at 24. Filho delivered a kill by Iowa's Mallory Husz answered with a kill to tie it at 25. With the score tied at 26, Gibbemeyer delivered a kill and had a solo block to close out the match. Iowa was led by Husz who had 10 kills and three blocks, while setter Paige Stevens had 23 assists and 11 digs.

Iowa-Ohio State winner gets whiff of the Rose

Rusty Miller — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:47:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) All the talk about how lucky Iowa was to win its first nine games brought back memories for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. His 2002 team was subjected to the same putdowns. Some even called that squad, which won seven games by seven or fewer points, the Luckeyes. And all it did was win the national championship. "I kind of enjoyed the discussion there about how they were comparing them to the 2002 Buckeyes,'' Tressel said. "To me that was a compliment. They were talking about a team that figured out how you win - and they know how to win.'' Now 15th-ranked Iowa (9-1, 5-1) and No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) will square off on Saturday before 105,000 on senior day at Ohio Stadium with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Rose Bowl. No matter what happens a week later in the regular-season finales, the victory would still win all Big Ten tiebreakers. In addition, the winner also will grab at least a share of the conference title. For Ohio State, that would be a fifth championship in a row, while for the Hawkeyes it would be their first title since 2004. Another win a week later at home against Minnesota could give them their first outright Big Ten crown in 24 years. "Being on the road with these kinds of implications on this game, yeah it's about as big as it can get,'' said Iowa offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga. The Hawkyes are coming off a woeful 17-10 home loss to Northwestern that spoiled their perfect season. They've struggled against FCS opponents Northern Iowa and Arkansas State and won two conference games by two points each. But say this much for the Hawkeyes - nine times out of 10 so far this season they've left the field with a victory. "`Everyone's doing what they're supposed to be doing and when that happens, the ball is going to bounce your way,'' Tressel said of the Hawkeyes. "When (the ball) hits off a guy's helmet and lands in your zone, well if you're supposed to be there then that wasn't luck, you were in the right place.'' Tressel, who seldom expresses emotion one way or the other, said he's extremely nervous heading into the showdown, in large part because of the Hawkeyes' will to win. "They're well prepared, they find a way to win,'' he said. "People want to call them lucky, let them call them lucky. But they're a good football team.'' Still, the Hawkeyes must make do without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who badly sprained an ankle in the loss last week and underwent surgery on Monday. He'll be replaced by unproven and untested redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, who will likely face heat from Ohio State's active and effective defense unlike anything he's ever seen. "It's a great situation to walk into, actually,'' Vandenberg said. ``What more could I ask for? Chances are, you could never be in this situation again, so I just plan on making the most of it.'' Ohio State is listed as a 16 1/2-point favorite by the oddsmakers. Ferentz doesn't look at the point spread. "I don't know that we've been underdogs by this much, but that seems to be our lot in life at least when we go on the road,'' he said. ``So we're on the road. We're underdogs. We've got them right where we want them, that's the way I'm looking at it. So it's perfect.'' The defenses for both teams are stout, each is ranked among the top 15 in the country in terms of points allowed and yards allowed. Whichever offense can get untracked will be a huge factor. "Whatever you can do to keep a team guessing, we'll take it because we have a lot of athletes,'' quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. ``We use them very well and we'll continue doing it.'' The Buckeyes have had an erratic season, particular on offense, but have won three in a row including last week's impressive 24-7 victory at Penn State (a team the Hawkeyes also beat in Happy Valley earlier in the season, 21-10). "You want your team to continue to build and build and build,'' safety Kurt Coleman said. "And right now we're getting better and I think we're almost to our peak.'' Pryor has been coming on, tailbacks Dan Herron and Brandon Saine have been piling up yardage and a much-maligned line has been limiting sacks and negative plays. "Every game I feel I get more comfortable,'' said Pryor, a sophomore. On what forecasters are saying will be a balmy, 70-degree November day, both teams will be battling for a Rose Bowl berth. This is what it used to be like in the Big Ten before the advent of the Bowl Championship Series. "You come to Ohio State to win Big Ten championships and to get the opportunity to go to the national championship. But if that doesn't quite work out, the Rose Bowl is definitely up there,'' tight end Jake Ballard said. "It's something that Ohio State hasn't been to in a while.''

Iowa cards first sweep of UW in 15 years

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:40:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa - For the first time in 15 years, the University of Iowa volleyball team swept the season series from Wisconsin, topping the Badgers 3-2 Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Senior Megan Schipper paced the Iowa offense with a season-high 19 kills. Sophomore Mallory Husz contributed with a career-best 12 kills and sophomore Paige Stevens, making her first start of the season, dished a career-high 52 assists quarterbacking the offense. Senior Christina Meister led the Hawkeye defense, picking up a game-high 30 digs. Husz also added a career-high seven blocks as Iowa stuffed a season-best 16.5 balls at the net. "We got support from a lot of people tonight," said Head Coach Sharon Dingman. "Everyone on the floor showed great effort. Schipper provided great leadership and brought a calmness to the floor. Christina's digging was unbelievable and Paige did a tremendous job with her decision making. She played a great game." Iowa battled back from a one-set deficit for only the third time this season after Wisconsin captured the opening set with a 25-19 win. The Badgers' Allison Wack picked up five of her 14 totals kills in the opening set to help Wisconsin build the 1-0 match advantage. Early in the frame the Hawkeyes built a 10-8 lead behind three kills apiece from Schipper and sophomore Tiffany Nilges, but the Badgers used a 12-2 run to open up a 20-12 lead and held on for the set one win. Iowa (4-11, 12-15) stormed back in the second frame by attacking the net and swinging at a .452 clip. Schipper and Husz collected four kills apiece, but junior Katie Kennedy ruled the second frame with five kills in six chances. Kennedy, Schipper and junior Becky Walters each picked up a pair of blocks in the set as Iowa tied the match, 1-1, with a 25-17 victory. Stevens handed out 15 assists and Meister added four digs. The Hawkeyes rolled out of the intermission riding their second set momentum and captured the third set with a 25-16 victory. Schipper led the offense with four kills, but it was the Hawkeye defense that led Iowa to a 2-1 match lead. Three different Hawkeyes, Husz, Walters and Kennedy, picked up three blocks each in the set. Iowa battled to a 12-11 advantage before stringing together an 11-2 run to take a commanding 23-13 edge. A kill by Husz then forced an Iowa set-point before a Wisconsin attack sailed long to give the Hawkeyes a one-set lead. Despite a set-high 14 digs from Meister in the fourth frame, Wisconsin (6-9, 11-13) was able to steady their offense and pull out a 25-20 win. Stevens dished 15 assists and Schipper added five kills, but with the set tied, 9-9, the Badgers put together a 4-0 run and never looked back. Consecutive kills by Schipper and a pair of kills from Nilges helped Iowa battle back with three points, 23-20, but Wisconsin answered a timeout with the set's final two points to tie the match, 2-2. The Badgers stayed hot to open the fifth and final set, recording a couple kills while jumping to a 2-0 lead. But the Hawkeye offense woke up and Nilges, Schipper and Kennedy each attacked with a point as the Hawkeyes jumped ahead, 6-3. Back-to-back kills from Husz and Schipper eventually gave Iowa an 11-6 advantage before Wisconsin pulled back within three points, 11-8. The Hawkeyes then scored the match's final four points to win the rubber set, 15-8, and escape with a 3-2 match win. The Hawkeyes return to action Friday when they host 13th-ranked Minnesota at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa's Stanzi doubtful for final two games

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:38:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi has had surgery to repair a severely sprained ankle and is "very doubtful" for Iowa's final two regular season games. Stanzi injured his right ankle in the second quarter of No. 15 Iowa's 17-10 loss to Northwestern last weekend and did not return. Ferentz says redshirt freshman James Vandenberg is now the No. 1 quarterback for the Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten). He will make his first career start Saturday at No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1). Vandenberg was 9 of 27 passing for 82 yards and an interception against Northwestern. Stanzi started all 10 games this season, throwing for 2,186 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Ferentz says that he believes Stanzi has a good chance to play in a bowl game.

Preview: Iowa-Ohio State

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State tight end Jake Ballard was stunned when he was told that with a win against Iowa on Saturday, the Buckeyes are headed to the Rose Bowl. Really? Yep. Less than a month after losing to a Purdue team that had won just one of its first six games, the No. 10 Buckeyes find themselves needing only a win over the 15th-ranked Hawkeyes to start booking flights for Pasadena, Calif. "No, I had no idea," Ballard said, trying hard to not let his jaw hit the table in front of him. To get back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1996 season, Ohio State, a team that couldn't seem to win a big game for three years, now must win two in the span of a little more than a week. The Buckeyes handled then-No. 11 Penn State 24-7 in Happy Valley on Saturday, the same day Iowa lost quarterback Ricky Stanzi and its first game at home against Northwestern, 17-10. Those two outcomes set the stage for a winner-take-all slugfest at Ohio Stadium. The victor is assured of a Rose Bowl berth against an opponent from the muddled Pac-10 (the front-runners are Arizona and Oregon). The Buckeyes (8-2, 5-1) have won three games in a row since that 26-18 loss in West Lafayette, Ind. The victory over Penn State ended a string of six losses in a row against higher-ranked teams. Coach Jim Tressel said his players realize beating the Nittany Lions doesn't mean much if they don't follow up. "They knew once the ball game was over that although that was awfully tough, what lies ahead is even tougher," he said. The Buckeyes have been contemplating this stretch of three games ever since the calendar changed. "It's going to be a battle in November. Whoever wins November is going to win the Big Ten championship," defensive end Cameron Heyward said. "You can kind of look at it like a boxing (championship). You can't just win one fight and win (a title). It's going to be critical for us to bring it every game." Now all that separates the Buckeyes from at least a share of a fifth consecutive conference championship is an Iowa team (9-1, 5-1) that will be starting a redshirt freshman quarterback, James Vandenberg. Stanzi went down in the second quarter with a badly sprained ankle. He has undergone surgery and will not play against Ohio State or in the Hawkeyes' regular-season finale against Minnesota. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said his team is regrouping after the loss. The Hawkeyes have won their last six on the road, including wins over Big Ten toughies Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State and last year's Outback Bowl game against South Carolina. "It's not our first road trip this year," Ferentz said. "We've handled it. We haven't let it be a distraction. From that standpoint I think that's certainly a positive. But I don't know if it's going to be enough for us. We're going to have to do everything right to win this football game." Tressel knows that there's no margin for error despite the changing fortunes of the two teams. "It's pretty hard to be more nervous than I am normally," he said. "It is harder to handle success, it's just the truth, but I'm probably most concerned with the fact that I know how good Iowa is." An Ohio State win would make the annual rivalry game at Michigan relatively insignificant. If the Buckeyes were to beat Iowa, they would win any tiebreaker with their three closest pursuers (Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin). The only things on the line might be an outright Big Ten title, not to mention the pride that comes with knocking off your archrival. The Buckeyes are well aware of the enormity of the Iowa game. "After it's all said and done, people looking back on this season will say that Penn State and Iowa were turning points of that season," Ballard said, finally catching on to what was at stake. "And the Buckeyes really came together."

Gatens' fast start sends Iowa past Marian

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 21:06:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- After facing former Iowa player Kevin Gamble's University of Illinois-Springfield team in a closed scrimmage on Thursday, the Hawkeyes were on display to the public for the first time in an exhibition game against Marian (Ind.) on Sunday. The Hawkeyes tipped off at 12:35 p.m. and showed the Carver-Hawkeye Arena faithful a decisive victory over the Knights, 76-53. The starting five for the Hawkeyes consisted of freshman Cully Payne, sophomores Matt Gatens, senior Devan Bawinkel at guard and sophomore Aaron Fuller and junior Jarryd Cole at forward. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 10-point lead midway through the first half behind Gatens' strong shooting. He scored 12 of his 14 points in the opening half. However, Marian managed to hang with Iowa and halved the deficit, going into the break trailing 34-29. Gatens initiated what would be a theme for his team all afternoon, hitting three, three-pointers in the first half. His teammates followed that lead as Iowa shot threes at a 45-percent clip. The Hawkeyes should be confident shooting the three-ball with that level of accuracy. "It's a weapon we use a lot in coach's system. If you have an open three and you can make it, go ahead and shoot it," Gatens said. " It's big we're knocking down shots and if we can keep that up, it's going to be great to see." Iowa came out fast in the second half, going on an 18-2 run to build a 20-point lead in only 6:09. The Hawkeyes maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the rest of the contest. Sophomore Anthony Tucker came off the bench to lead all scorers with 21 points, despite injuring his back in practice earlier in the fall. He hit five three-pointers and headed a 37-point contribution from the Iowa bench. "I thought he was awfully sore a couple of weeks ago, so I'm glad to see that he's moving better. That's exciting," said UI head coach Todd Lickliter. Tucker underwent treatment before the game and wants to be back to 100 percent before Iowa opens the regular season next Sunday, Nov. 15, at home against Texas-San Antonio in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Tipoff is set for 5:05 p.m. "Hopefully it's something that I can get taken care of this next week before our first game," said Tucker. Freshman Eric May also gave a strong performance off the bench in his first collegiate action. His multi-faceted game filled up many areas of the stat sheet. He had 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and made a three pointer. May thought the exhibition was a valuable experience. "It gives us the atmosphere of a real game," May said. "You get used to all the warm-ups, pregame stuff -- you just get into a routine." Three-point specialist Bawinkel scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting from downtown. He only attempted three-point field goals. "He's a star in his role," Lickliter said. " He's not concerned with anything but helping us. It doesn't surprise me; he's been a terrific teammate from day one." Fuller was another Hawkeye who performed a specific job. He pounded the boards, pulling down a game-leading 15 rebounds to go along with seven points. "Aaron not only has a knack for rebounding, but he pursues balls and can rebound outside of his area, which is a good talent to have," said Lickliter. Payne dished out six assists in his Hawkeye debut at point guard and made his lone field goal attempt, a three-pointer. Although they rained down trifectas, the Hawkeyes had trouble connecting from the free throw line. Iowa made only 6 of 13 free throws and will look to improve upon the low percentage. The Hawkeyes know they still have room for improvement, but they got off on the right foot with a win. "The main thing was we're all tired of playing against each other in practice all the time," Tucker said. " It was nice to see somebody else and be able to go against a different game plan, different schemes."

Alexander leads Iowa to exhibition victory

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 19:31:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The visiting team - Washburn - took a 2-0 lead in its exhibition game with the University of Iowa women's basketball team. The rest of the game was all Hawkeyes. Lisa Bluder's bunch raced to a 41-21 halftime lead, powered in great measure by 7-of-9 shooting from behind the three-point line, en route to an 88-60 victory. Senior Kachine Alexander led all scorers with 25 points. Kamille Wahlin added 18 and Kelly Krei 12. The Hawkeyes sank 52 percent of its field goal attempts including a blistering 63 percent of their three-pointers. Hope Gregory paced Washburn with 16 points and eight rebounds. The visitors shot just 37 percent from the field and only 34 percent from behind the arc. Alexander and Morgan Johnson added seven rebounds for the Hawkeyes, who will now begin preparations for their season opener next Saturday against Santa Clara in first round action of the 2009 KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge. Iowa took its first double-digit lead of the game when Wahlin sank one of her four triples to put the Hawkeyes up 26-16 with 6:11 left in the opening stanza. The lead reached 18 when Trisha Nesbit dropped the second of two free throws at the 2:22 mark to push the score to 36-18. Ten different Hawkeyes saw action including highly-touted freshman Jamie Printy. The Cedar Rapids native scored eight points and added six assists in 24 minutes.