Iowa makes it 14 straight vs. Drake

IOWA CITY — The comment was intended as a slight to Drake — she once coached there, after all — far less than as love toward a former player.

'Honestly, I don't know why we play this game, I really don't,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said after the 25th-ranked Hawkeyes downed the Bulldogs, 89-76, Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'I don't like playing against my former players, I don't think it's good for any reason. Why would you want to beat someone you care about and you really love? It doesn't make any sense. I have no desire to play Drake and we have everything to lose and nothing to gain by playing them.'

Six players scored in double figures as the Hawkeyes (10-2) won their 24th consecutive game at Carver, and defeated the Bulldogs for the 14th straight time.

Drake Coach Jennie Baranczyk, who played at Iowa as Jennie Lillis from 2000 through 2004, was asked for a reaction on Bluder's comment.

'She should like it a lot,' she said. 'She's 4-0 against me.'

On a more serious note:

'I hope it doesn't come to (the point in which we have to fight to keep this series going),' Baranczyk said. 'It's important to us. It's important for the state. We're not a bad loss; we're not a bad win. If we're going to continue to grow the game in this state, we have to do this.'

Iowa's balance offset another big game by Drake's Lizzy Wendell, who scored 35 points. She tallied 43 last year in Iowa's 100-98 win in Des Moines.

'She's a good player that knocks down shots,' said Ally Disterhoft, who led the Hawkeyes with 20 points.

Megan Gustafson added 16 points, Alexa Kastanek and Whitney Jennings 15 apiece, Chase Coley 11 and Tania Davis 10. Kastanek distributed seven of Iowa's 21 assists.

'The past week, we stressed unselfish play,' Disterhoft said. 'We emphasized variety in offense.'

The first quarter featured nine lead changes, then the Hawkeyes pulled away. They scored the last seven points of the opening period, then struck for 30 in the second for a 51-35 halftime advantage.

'That second quarter was very good, once we got into an offensive rhythm,' Bluder said.

The margin grew to 20 (62-42) late in the third quarter. Drake (7-4) got within eight points twice in the fourth quarter, but fell for the fourth time in its last five games.

'We continued to fight,' Baranczyk said. 'I do think we got better today, but we've got to do a better job on the defensive end.'

Wendell was Drake's lone double-digit scorer. Nicole Miller, a freshman from North-Linn, hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored seven points. Paige Greiner, a sophomore from Williamsburg, added three points. Caitlin Ingle dished out 12 assists.

The Hawkeyes begin Big Ten play Dec. 31 at Nebraska. Drake opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home Jan. 1 against Southern Illinois.

IOWA 89, DRAKE 76

At Iowa City

DRAKE (76): Lizzy Wendell 14-28 4-6 35, Emma Donahue 0-3 2-2 2, Maddy Dean 2-10 3-4 7, Sammie Bachrodt 2-5 1-2 6, Caitlin Ingle 2-9 0-0 4, Paige Greiner 1-3 0-0 3, Nicole Miller 2-5 1-2 7, Cortni Rush 1-2 0-0 3, Sara Rhine 4-6 1-4 9. Totals 28-71 12-20 76.

IOWA (89): Ally Disterhoft 6-9 5-6 20, Kali Peschel 0-3 2-2 2, Chase Coley 4-7 3-3 11, Alexa Kastanek 5-14 2-4 15, Tania Davis 4-10 2-6 10, Claire Till 0-0 0-0 0, Megan Gustafson 6-11 4-5 16, Whitney Jennings 3-8 8-8 15, Christina Buttenham 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 26-34 89.

Halftime: Iowa 51, Drake 35. 3-point goals: Drake 8-29 (Wendell 3-11, Dean 0-5, Bachrodt 1-3, Ingle 0-1, Greiner 1-2, Miller 2-5, Rush 1-2), Iowa 7-26 (Disterhoft 3-6, Peschel 0-1, Kastanek 3-12, Davis 0-2, Jennings 1-5). Team fouls: Drake 29, Iowa 21. Fouled out: Bachrodt. Rebounds: Drake 39 (Dean 11), Iowa 46 (Disterhoft, Coley, Gustafson 7). Assists: Drake 15 (Ingle 12), Iowa 21 (Kastanek 7). Steals: Drake 15 (Bachrodt 6), Drake 8 (Kastanek, Davis, Jennings 2). Turnovers: Drake 17, Iowa 19.

Attendance: 5,430.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com