Alexander and Vandersloot: Dueling double-doubles

IOWA CITY - They earn their double-doubles in different fashions.

Kachine Alexander is the relentless rebounder. Courtney Vandersloot leads the nation in assists.

They'll be in close quarters when 25th-ranked Iowa (22-8) meets No. 19 Gonzaga (28-4) in a first-round game at the NCAA women's basketball tournament Saturday at Spokane, Wash.

“Of course I'm going to guard her,” Alexander said at the Hawkeyes' press conference Wednesday.

Alexander is one of two seniors on the Iowa roster - Kelsey Cermak is the other. Their next loss will be their final game.

“Losing is not in my vocabulary,” Alexander said. “It's not win-or-go-home to me. It's just win.”

That's not how the ESPN analysts feel. Even though Iowa is the higher seed, Mechelle Voepel picked Gonzaga. So did Carolyn Peck.

The chip on the Hawkeyes' shoulders might be high enough they'll have to slouch to get on the plane Thursday afternoon.

“Everybody in the country thinks we're beat,” said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. “It kind of irritates you. We're going to Spokane, and all the other 6 seeds are playing in their back yard.”

McCarthey Athletic Center already is sold out. The arena holds 6,000.

It's easy to see why the Bulldogs draw well. They are the nation's highest scoring team at 86.1 points per game and have gone over 100 points on eight occasions.

Vandersloot drives the Bulldogs' bus. She is the team's leading scorer at 18.6 points per game, and her 10.2 assists per game is tops in the nation.

She has registered 17 double-doubles.

“She's the best point guard we've seen,” Bluder said. “Sometimes we stop the tape and say, ‘Did you see that?'"

Alexander gets her double-doubles the more common way - points and rebounds. She has nine this season, 33 in her career.

She'll get the defensive assignment on Vandersloot.

“I think I can keep up with her in the half court, but when I crash (the boards), she might get out ahead of me, and that's where I might need some help,” Alexander said.

Saturday's winner faces UCLA (27-4) or Montana (18-14) on Monday.