Hoosiers battle Iowa in search of 9th consecutive victory

The IU women’s basketball team will open the New Year by taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 4 p.m. today in Assembly Hall.

Indiana (9-2, 2-0) could tie their longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season with a win today. Also in reach are other milestones for the Hoosiers.

Senior Whitney Thomas is just nine points shy of 1,000 career points. The All-American candidate is also only 92 rebounds short of 1,000 boards for her career. Should Thomas reach both marks this season she would be only the second player in school history to achieve the feat.

Senior Kim Roberson, the defensive specialist for the Hoosiers, is only two steals away from breaking into the 200 steal club. Only six active players in the Big Ten have reached that mark. With 33 more takeaways Roberson will pass Jenny DeMuth as the all-time steals leader for the Hoosiers.

Standing in the way of the Hoosiers ninth straight victory are the Hawkeyes. Iowa (8-5, 1-1) last year finished as a co-Big Ten champion and return their top two scorers this year. They also have a coach in Lisa Bluder who has more than 500 career victories.  

Up next for the Hoosiers they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., for a Thursday match up with Minnesota. Three days later the team will be in State College, Pa., for a match up against Penn State before returning home again on Jan. 15 for a game against Wisconsin.