Knee injury will sideline freshman Dixon

IOWA CITY -- One of the top reserves on the University of Iowa women's basketball team probably will be out a while.

Maybe, quite a while.

Freshman Melissa Dixon injured a knee in the Hawkeyes' 84-71 loss at Ohio State on Monday. Coach Lisa Bluder did not know the severity of the injury during Tuesday's press conference.

"We have not heard the results of the MRI yet," Bluder said. "I don't feel very good about it."

Bluder was confident that the injury was not a torn ACL or MCL, both of which would end Dixon's season.

"We're probably talking meniscus more. (With that), 4-6 weeks is usually what's typical, which this time of year is a long time.

Best-case scenario would be a sprained knee, which would probably keep Dixon out a week or so.

Dixon is sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 5.9 points per game. She has emerged as an outside threat off the bench, shooting 17 of 44 from 3-point range.

Bluder said that freshman Virginia Johnson, who suffered a concussion Dec. 19, has been cleared medically, and could start practicing by the end of the week.

Iowa (9-6 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) hosts Illinois (6-9, 0-2) on Thursday.