Iowa's Tania Davis sidelined again with torn ACL

IOWA CITY — Opposite knee. Similar injury.

Iowa point guard Tania Davis suffered a torn ACL in her left knee — as well as a torn medial meniscus — in Sunday's women's basketball win at Northern Iowa, an MRI revealed Monday.

A junior from Flint, Mich., Davis was injured in the second quarter of the 25th-ranked Hawkeyes' 71-47 victory over the Panthers. She was driving for a layup attempt and became tangled inadvertantly with UNI's Karli Rucker.

'She's going to be sorely missed,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said on her weekly radio show Monday night. 'Obviously, it's a loss to the team.'

Bluder raced from the Iowa bench to the other end of the floor, where Davis was down. Bluder was optimistic after the game that Davis' injury was minor.

But the news changed Monday.

Davis tore her right ACL last February in a loss to Michigan. The Hawkeyes went 3-4 to conclude the regular season and missed the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

She rehabbed quickly from the injury, though. She was ready for the season-opener, and with the exception of a brace, showed no effects of the injury.

'To go through this twice in 10 months, it's a lot for a young lady to take,' Bluder said. 'Especially for a kid like Tania. She's a baller. I hate to see this taken away from her.'

Davis was averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 assists per game as the Hawkeyes started 11-1.

Since Iowa has played 12 games, a medical redshirt appears unlikely, but 'any hardship waiver opportunity permissible under NCAA rules will be explored,' the release said.

Iowa should be better equipped to withstand the blow this time. Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian — Davis' backcourt mate in high school — will move into the starting lineup and will share point-guard duties with sophomore Kathleen Doyle.

Sevillian is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game.

The Hawkeyes host Drake at 7 p.m. Thursday in their final pre-conference game, then open Big Ten play at Wisconsin on Dec. 28.

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