Hawkeyes grind past Robert Morris

IOWA CITY — The most energy of the afternoon came during a second-half timeout, when the public address announcer shared the Rose Bowl news.

Other than that, it was a typical December atmosphere against an overmatched opponent.

No. 24 Iowa spotted Robert Morris the first 10 points, then ultimately wore the Colonials down, 69-50, in a non-conference women's basketball game in front of 3,620 Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'It was a slow start to say the least, and I'm disappointed with that,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said after the Hawkeyes (8-1) won their 22nd straight home game. 'We kind of played into their zone, and didn't get high-percentage shots early in the game.

'But in the second half, our percentage went up and our defense was really good.'

The Hawkeyes got 33 points from their bench, including 15 from Megan Gustafson, and turned a tight affair into a comfortable win with a big fourth quarter.

Leading 47-41 entering the final period, Iowa outscored the Colonials, 22-9, the rest of the way.

'We got behind (10-0 in the first 2 1/2 minutes), but it's a four-quarter game,' Bluder said. 'We didn't panic. We didn't go crazy. We were unhappy, but you've got to chip your way out of it.'

The Hawkeyes were up late Saturday night watching the Big Ten football championship game, but Ally Disterhoft insisted that wasn't a factor for their slow start.

'No,' she said emphatically. 'We were prepared. Our sport comes first to us, and we weren't going to jeopardize our performance.'

Disterhoft (team-leading 16 points) and Gustafson both shot 6 of 9 from the floor. Tania Davis added eight points.

'That's part of my role, to provide a spark,' Davis said.

The game was tied at 34-all before Gustafson converted a three-point play with 5:45 left in the third quarter, and Iowa pulled away. An 11-point run midway through the second half extended the margin to 20.

Robert Morris employed an all-foreigner starting lineup. Niki Stamolamprou (Greece) and Rebeca Navarro (Spain) led the Colonials with 13 points apiece.

Iowa's focus turns to its annual grudge match against Iowa State, Friday at Ames. The Hawkeyes haven't won at Hilton Coliseum since 1989; they've lost there nine straight times.

'We're going to stress how big a game it is,' Disterhoft said. 'This is a team full of competitors. We'll give it our all.'

IOWA 69, ROBERT MORRIS 50

At Iowa City

ROBERT MORRIS (50): Megan Smith 3-12 2-2 8, Mikalah Mulrain 0-3 1-2 1, Niki Stamolamprou 6-17 0-0 13, Rebeca Navarro 5-11 0-0 13, Ashley Ravelli 2-9 0-0 5, Jocelynne Jones 1-5 1-2 3, Nia Adams 0-0 0-0 0, Janee Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Lou Mataly 1-3 0-0 3, Leah Wormack 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 20-66 4-6 50.

IOWA (69): Kali Peschel 2-9 1-2 6, Chase Coley 1-4 2-2 4, Alexa Kastanek 1-4 0-0 3, Ally Disterhoft 6-9 2-3 16, Whitney Jennings 3-11 1-2 7, Claire Till 0-0 2-2 2, Megan Gustafson 6-9 3-3 15, Tania Davis 4-6 0-0 8, Hannah Stewart 1-2 0-0 2, Christina Buttenham 2-4 0-0 4, Tagyn Larson 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Mohns 1-3 0-0 2, Nicole Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-61 11-14 69.

Halftime: Iowa 29, Robert Morris 28. 3-point goals: Robert Morris 6-21 (Smith 0-1, Stamolamprou 1-6, Navarro 3-4, Ravelli 1-7, Mataly 1-3), Iowa 4-19 (Peschel 1-4, Kastanek 1-3, Disterhoft 2-4, Jennings 0-3, Davis 0-2, Buttenham 0-1, Mohns 0-2). Team fouls: Robert Morris 11, Iowa 7. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Robert Morris 41 (Smith, Mulrain 8), Iowa 41 (Peschel 8). Assists: Robert Morris 8 (Ravelli 3), Iowa 18 (Jennings 5). Steals: Robert Morris 5 (Ravelli 2), Iowa 6 (Jennings 2). Turnovers: Robert Morris 17, Iowa 13.

Attendance: 3,620.

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