Basketball, plus dodgeball and Wiffleball

IOWA CITY - Winning has its perks.

The Iowa Hawkeyes took time out of their practice regimen Wednesday with a massive game of dodgeball.

A few days earlier, the coaches challenged the players in Wiffleball. That contest ended in a tie.

"I think you saw the competitive spirit come out in the coaches," Coach Lisa Bluder said at her press conference Thursday.

"Any time you're winning, it feels awfully good. It does so much. The injuries don't hurt as much, and you have a little more energy as a coach."

Iowa (10-10 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) has won two straight games. The Hawkeyes host Purdue (10-10, 5-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Boilermakers handed the Hawkeyes their worst loss of the season, 81-59, Jan. 17 at West Lafayette, Ind.

"Last time we played them, we didn't play well," Bluder said. "Brittany Rayburn lit it up to begin the game, and we didn't have a healthy Kamille Wahlin."

Another walk-on

Bluder hopes to have senior Danielle Huss cleared for availability Sunday.

Huss is a 2006 graduate of Fort Dodge St. Edmond, then played at Iowa Central Community College.

"She's a good wing player," Bluder said.

Huss would give Iowa 10 active players. Megan Considine, a sophomore walk-on, has played nine minutes in two games.