By: Jake Mosbach
Despite missing the team’s first NCAA Tournament in nine years, the Iowa women’s basketball squad will once again make a postseason tournament appearance, taking on Ball State in the first round of the NIT March 17 in Carver-Hawkeye.
The game, slated to tip off at 7 p.m., is the first-ever meeting between the Hawks (19-13 overall) and Cardinals (21-9).
Despite the NCAA Tournament snub, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said the team will pull out all the stops in an effort to win the NIT, the 15th postseason appearance in 16 seasons for the Hawks under Bluder.
“It’s a tough situation,” Bluder said in a Tuesday release. “We know we were one of the last four teams out [of the NCAA Tournament], maybe the last team left out. But we’re in the NIT, so we’re going to make this the best we can.”
Hawkeye junior guard Ally Disterhoft said Ball State will face a team tonight that knows they’re an NCAA Tournament team.
“That’s going to be the motivation for the rest of my time at Iowa,” Disterhoft said in the release regarding the team’s status as a “First Four Out” team. “I printed it off because it’s hard to see that. You’re going to use it for what it felt like to get better.”
Here’s a quick rundown of the Iowa/Ball State matchup.
Shutting down Fontaine
The game will feature one of the most explosive guards in the Mid-American Conference, and perhaps the entire country, with Stockholm native Nathalie Fontaine headlining the Cardinal roster. The 6-2 senior guard averages 20.7 points per game this season – no other Cardinal averages more than 10.9 points.
Fontaine could find herself matched up against Hawkeye guards Tania Davis or Whitney Jennings. Freshman Davis and sophomore Jennings will face an uphill battle defending the more experienced guard. A 2014-15 first-team All-Mid-American selection, Fontaine shot a solid 50.4 percent from the floor. However, she’s not a 3-point shooter; she hasn’t hit a deep ball all season.
But Hawkeye junior standout Disterhoft might be the best defender on the team, and she certainly matches up with Fontaine better than any guard on the team as far as height is concerned. Expect Bluder to change defensive assignments at some point during the game. But no matter who finds herself guarding Fontaine, it remains clear: Shut down Fontaine, and win the game.
Gustafson vs. Monaco
For another premier matchup featured in tonight’s contest, look no further than the Carver-Hawkeye paint. Hawkeye forward Megan Gustafson will do battle with Cardinal forward Moriah Monaco, the team’s second-leading scorer (10.9 points).
Gustafson, the 6-3 freshman from Port Wing, Wisconsin, played some impressive basketball down the stretch for the Hawkeyes despite the team’s slide. Gustafson averages 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Along with her 10.9 points, Monaco contributes 4.4 rebounds per game.
As has been the case throughout most of the season, Iowa has the chance and ability to out-rebound the Cardinals. If the team expects to advance to the second round of the NIT to face either St. Louis or Little Rock, rebounding is a great place to start.
Iowa probable starters
G: 6-0 Junior Ally Disterhoft; 17.1 ppg, 54% FG, 72% FT, 5.4 rpg
G: 5-4 Freshman Tania Davis; 8.0 ppg, 40% FG, 78% FT, 2.8 rpg
G: 5-5 Sophomore Whitney Jennings; 9.5 ppg, 34% FG, 78% FT, 3.0 rpg
F: 6-3 Sophomore Chase Coley; 11.2 ppg, 53% FG, 81% FT, 5.8 rpg
F: 6-3 Freshman Megan Gustafson; 10.3 ppg, 55% FG, 61% FT, 6.7 rpg
Ball State probable starters
G: 6-2 Senior Nathalie Fontaine; 20.7 ppg, 50% FG, 80% FT, 10.2 rpg
G: 5-7 Junior Jill Morrison; 10.4 ppg, 35% FG, 80% FT, 4.1 rpg
G: 5-8 Freshman Carmen Grande; 6.2 ppg, 35% FG, 79% FT, 4.2 rpg
F: 6-1 Sophomore Moriah Monaco; 10.9 ppg, 36% FG, 74% FT, 4.4 rpg
C: 6-5 Junior Renee Bennett; 10.1 ppg, 54% FG, 63% FT, 5.7 rpg
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