Iowa coach Ben McCollum may juggle the starting lineup on Tuesday night when the Hawkeyes host ninth ranked Nebraska. Poor starts have been common in the past few weeks and were a factor in losses last week to Maryland and Purdue.
McCollum says the play of senior guard Sam Hoiberg has elevated the Huskers into championship contention, as has the return of senior center Rienk Mast, who missed last season with a knee injury.
Former Iowa guard Pryce Sandfort leads the Huskers in scoring at better than 17 points per game.
Iowa has several players struggling from three point range and McCollum says they need to keep it simple as the try to regain their touch. The Hawkeyes are 13-of-50 from three point range in their last two games.
The Hawkeyes are 8-6 in the Big Ten and 18-7 overall. The Huskers are 11-3 in the Big Ten and 22-3 overall.
It was a matinee blowout for the Iowa Hawkeye women at Nebraska. The 13th ranked Hawkeyes led by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter in an 80-67 win over the Huskers. The Hawkeyes shot better than 60 percent to move to 11-3 in the Big Ten and 20-3 overall. Iowa coach Jan Jensen says early defense was a key.
Sophomore center Ava Heiden equaled a career-high with 27 points and added 11 rebounds.
Heiden made 12-of-15 shots as the Hawkeyes led nearly the entire game.
It marks the 10th consecutive season and Hawkeyes have won 20 games or more.
The Atlantic Trojans girls’ basketball team fell in the opening round of the 3A Region 2 tournament 64-51 at the hands of the Van Meter Bulldogs on Saturday night. In a way, it was a microcosm of their season. Things didn’t start well, shots weren’t falling, and there was plenty of adversity. As they have showcased all season, the Trojans showed no quit. As the game moved along, Atlantic started to figure things out and had a very strong fourth. However, the deficit was too large to overcome as the Trojans’ season came to an end in the opening round of the postseason.
Van Meter owned the opening two quarters. Although the Trojans kept the game close early, the Bulldogs started to pull away. It seemed as if everything fell for Van Meter in the opening 16 minutes. Ella Rosic and Avery Banks were money from downtown, which in turn opened up the paint for Lydia Thummel as the Bulldogs outscored Atlantic 23-9 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Trojans couldn’t find a rhythm on offense. Although they did have some opportunities, they struggled to consistently put up points. Katrina Williams and Makenna Schroeder both had strong performances in the first half but unfortunately for the Trojans it wasn’t enough to start cutting into the deficit as Atlantic headed to the locker room down 38-16.
The second half was much better for the Trojans. In comparison to the first half, they were faster, defended better, and pressured Van Meter forcing them into mistakes they didn’t make in the first half. However, they still struggled to completely flip the momentum. It seemed like every time the Trojans seemed poised to go on a run, Van meter found some kind of response. All seemed lost as the final minutes approached, but showing no quit, the Trojans finally flipped the momentum. Over the final minutes the Trojans shaved the deficit to single digits. Zoey Kirchoff found her scoring while Schroeder added a pair of three pointers in the fourth to bring her total to five for the game. However, with Van Meter in the double bonus, all they needed to do was be proficient at the foul line; and they were. The Bulldogs hit just enough from the foul line to keep Atlantic at arm’s length while the clock ran out. Despite a valiant effort at a comeback, it was too little too late as the Trojans’ girls’ basketball season came to an end.
Despite the loss, head coach Dan Vargason was proud of how his team pushed back late in the game.
He also thanked his seniors for their contributions to the program.
Looking back at the season, he though the way his group came together was admirable.
This Trojan team will look different again next season. However, the expectation of winning will not.
The AHSTW Lady Vikes Girls Basketball team is ready for the postseason. They have won 4 of their last 5 games as they head into the postseason and hope to carry that momentum to wins in the regional tournament. The Lady Vikes finished 4th in the Western Iowa Conference this season and are led by a balanced scoring attack which showcases four girls that average over 7 points a game. As a team they have good numbers in a lot of statistical categories, and that well rounded skillset is something that Head Coach Jason McCall sees as a strong point.
It will take an entire group effort if the Lady Vikes want to win in the playoffs:
Coach McCall is impressed by how every girl became a leader as the season went on:
This team feels like they are ready for the stress of the playoffs:
AHSTW will go to Underwood High School for the first round of the Class 2A Region 7 tournament on Tuesday, February 17th. Tipoff scheduled for 7pm.
ACGC Chargers Boys Basketball will go head-to-head with CAM in the first round of the Class 1A Regional Tournament. Senior Thomas Skram is the leading scorer of the Chargers with 15 ppg and he also leads the team in steals at 3 a game. The Chargers do a good job of moving the ball around, with a series of players averaging multiple assists a game. According to Head Coach Lance Kading, Skram is going to be key to the Chargers success due to their second leading scorer, Joe Crawford, being injured.
A big factor in deciding how the playoffs go is how well the team shoots:
Coach Kading says it is important for Thomas Skram to be a leader as well:
Coach Kading lays out his message for his team ahead of the playoffs:
ACGC opens up Regional Tournament play by hosting the CAM Cougars on Monday, February 16th at 7pm in the Class 1A Region 8 bracket.
Northern Iowa made 18 of its first 26 shots in the second half and blasted Drake 86-62 in the McLeod Center. The Panthers connected on better than 54 percent for the game as they improve to 9-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
That’s Panther coach Ben Jacobson. It was a day in which UNI retired the jersey of former Panther star A.J. Green.
The loss was the sixth straight for a Bulldog team that continues to struggle with defense.
That’s Drake coach Eric Henderson. The Bulldogs are 6-11 in the Valley and currently ninth in the standings.
It is a Big Monday top five showdown in Ames when fifth ranked Iowa State hosts number-three Houston. The Cyclones are part of a three-way tie for third in the Big 12 at 9-3 after a 74-56 win over ninth ranked Kansas while Houston leads the conference race with a record of 11-1.
That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. Cyclone junior forward Milan Momcilovic.
The Iowa State women held off a late rally by Kansas State and beat the Wildcats 76-72 in Ames. ISU led by 13 in the fourth quarter before K-State rally to within one with just over a minute remaining. Jada Williams led the way with 22 points, including 12-of-12 from the foul line.
Williams made 10 of her free throws in the second half.