Final: IU 67 , IOWA 71
The Hoosiers relinquished a 7 point lead with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game, to an Iowa team that would just not give up. Through the shooting of Jaime Printy, the Hawkeyes were able to claw their way back into a game that the Hoosiers appeared to have clinched. Printy's 28 points, a career high for the freshman, including several clutch 3pointers late in the game, enabled the Hawkeyes.
But the real story of the game was the rebounding. The Hoosiers were out-rebounded 53 to 29 overall, but what really hurt was the lack of offensive rebounds. IU had only 8 offensive boards the entire game, compared to 21 defensive rebounds.
The Hoosiers were led by 20 points from Jamie Braun, 13 points from Hope Elam, and 12 points from Jori Davis.
The team takes the court next against Wisconsin on Sunday.
Halftime: IU 32 , IOWA 32
Iowa's Kachine Alexander, a junior guard, currently is the top performer for either team, as she has a double double at the end of the first half. Alexander has 14 points and 11 rebounds. Other top performers for Iowa include Printy with 8 points and junior forward Kelsey Cermak with 7 points.
IU is led by Jamie Braun with 9 points, and Jori Davis with 8 points.
The Hoosiers are currently winning the turnover battle, as the Hawkeyes turned the ball over 9 times in the first half. IU only committed one. But the Hoosiers could potentially have issues later with foul trouble, as 6 of the 7 Hoosiers seeing minutes have at least one foul. Danilsa Andujar has 3 fouls, and Hope Elam with 2 fouls.
Update: Wahlin will not play tonight due to her concussion, instead freshman Trisha Nesbitt will start in her place.
Also, tonight, Assembly Hall will be celebrating Black History month, and kids are encouraged to artfully show their own interpretation of Black History month. All participants receive free admission to the game, and winners will be announced at halftime.
Pregame:
IU puts their two game win streak on the line tonight against Iowa, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten. But Iowa might be without one of their best players, sophomore guard Kamille Wahlin. Wahlin suffered a concussion against Michigan State on Sunday, and it is not yet known if she will play tonight, but we will update you on that as soon as we get more information.
Here is a quick look at Iowa's offense:
- Ranked 2nd in Big Ten in scoring offense with 68.9 points/game. Ranked 70th in the NCAA
- Their shooting average from the field, 41.5%, is ranked 99th in the NCAA
- Ranked 2nd in the Big Ten in free throw % with 75.4%, 17th in the NCAA
- They average 7.5 3-pointers/game, best in the Big Ten, and 19th in the NCAA
- Ranked 38th in the NCAA in 3-point shooting %, average 36.1% from downtown
And here is a look at Iowa's individual NCAA rankings:
Freshman guard Jaime Printy averages :
- 14.9 ppg, ranked #147
- 7.0 rebounds pg, ranked #220
- 2.3 blocks pg, ranked #229
- 41.7% shooting from the field, ranked #116
- 89.6% from the charity stripe, ranked #8
- 39.3% from the arc, ranked #56
- 2.3 3pointers pg, ranked #7
Kamille Wahlin averages:
- 41.7% shooting from the field, ranked #148
- 38.7% from the 3point line, ranked #56
- 2.5 3pointers pg, ranked #55
However, IU does have the best 3point defense in the Big Ten, and the 12th best in the nation. Defense looks to be the key for the Hoosiers to maintain their win streak.
