Freshmen impress in Hawkeyes exhibition rout of Upper Iowa

IOWA CITY – As the Iowa women's basketball team began the process of replacing a historically-productive senior class, they did so without current star Ally Disterhoft.

As a result, Coach Lisa Bluder got a long look at some promising freshmen Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and had to be thrilled with what she saw.

Freshman post Megan Gustafson notched a double-double in a rousing debut with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds as No. 23 Iowa overwhelmed Division II Upper Iowa, 95-41, in an exhibition game before 3,614 fans.

'I think it's a huge part for any post player to have that physical advantage,” Gustafson said. 'You've just got to try to keep pushing and be as physical as possible.”

Disterhoft sat out with what Bluder termed a 'minor injury,” but the former Iowa City West standout is expected to return when the Hawkeyes open the regular season at 6 p.m. Friday against North Dakota at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

In her absence, the Hawkeyes didn't miss a beat. Iowa scored the game's first 13 points on its way to a 51-20 halftime lead.

'I thought we had a good first time out,” Bluder said. 'There's always things you want to work on, obviously, but I really loved some of the things that I saw.”

Freshman reserve point guard Tania Davis also drew rave reviews in her debut. The 5-foot-4 speedster scored 14 points and distributed a game-high seven assists with just one turnover in 26 minutes. Davis' no-look assist under the basket to Christina Buttenham provided an audible 'wow” moment for the crowd.

'I thought she played really well,” Bluder said. 'You never know when a freshman steps on the floor for the first time, how they're going to react. … I thought she looked like a natural out there. You can all tell, I think, that Tania belongs.”

Senior Kali Peschel and junior Alexa Kastanek both started and had very efficient offensive games. Peschel scored the game's first six points and finished with 17 on 7-of-10 shooting, while Kastanek made 6-of-8 shots for 16 points.

'I think the thing that I focus on more is taking good shots and passing up a good shot for a great shot,” Kastanek said.

Iowa collected 18 steals against just nine turnovers.

Freshman reserve Karlee Grabau led Upper Iowa with 13 points. Former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep Madi Meier started at guard and finished with four points, while freshman Kari Fitzpatrick – a Class 2A first team all-stater last season for Edgewood-Colesburg – added three points.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com