Dixon took her opportunity, and ran with it

IOWA CITY -- It wasn't what Morgan Johnson saw that concerned her about Melissa Dixon.

It was what she heard. Or, to be more accurate, what she didn't hear.

"She was a little quiet (before Sunday's game at Indiana)," Johnson said. "And for Melissa Dixon to be quiet, that's a big thing."

Dixon was about to make her first collegiate start, and nerves were settling in.

"I was a little surprised I was starting," she said. "It had been an emotional week, and we really wanted to get a win  for Jaime (Printy). I had to step up and do what needed to be done."

Dixon fit right in, carving up the Hoosiers for five 3-pointers and 19 points in the Hawkeyes' 83-64 victory, their third in a row.

"I was extremely happy with her performance," said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. "I'm sure she'll be identified a little bit now.  She's not going to catch anybody by surprise."

Iowa (14-10 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) faces Minnesota (12-13, 4-7) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It has been a week now since Printy -- the Hawkeyes' leading scorer -- suffered a torn ACL in her left knee at Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes won that game in overtime, but it was a somber bus ride home from Madison.

"It was certainly bittersweet," said freshman Samantha Logic. "It was our first Big Ten road win. It was huge. But none of us were even concerned with the win."

Bluder said, "I don't think any of us have gotten over it yet, to be quite honest."

Printy underwent surgery Tuesday, and is expected to return in time for the start of her senior season in 2012-13.

Dixon's performance at Indiana helped smoothen the impact of the jolt.

"She's a kid that just loves to shoot the ball and plays hard all the time and doesn't think about it a whole lot," Bluder said. "I think players overthink a lot of things.

"But what I've been most impressed with is her defense that she's gotten her here. I didn't realize how physical she could be on defense and how good of a job she could do on the defensive end."

"I like playing defense," Dixon said. "I just try to be aggressive, really scrappy."

Dixon missed seven games after suffering a torn meniscus against Ohio State on Jan. 2. She returned for the Wisconsin game, the same game in which Printy was injured.

The Hawkeyes' three-game run has moved them into a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten and back into the NCAA tournament conversation. Their final five regular-season games (three at home, two on the road) come against teams in the middle or toward the bottom of the league.

"If we want to move up, we really need to focus to getting the next two wins," Johnson said. "With Jaime out, the shots need to come from different spots. We need an all-around effort from all of us. We've got to win games without her."

Virginia Johnson has had a setback with headaches -- she suffered a concussion earlier this season -- and will not play Thursday.

Minnesota is led by freshman guard Rachel Banham at 15.8 points per game.

"I believe they have the freshman of the year in the Big Ten starting for them at point guard," Bluder said.

MINNESOTA (12-13, 4-7) at IOWA (14-10, 6-5)

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday

TV: None

Radio: KXIC-AM (800), KMJM-AM (1360)

Notable: The Hawkeyes chase their fourth consecutive victory. They responded well to Jaime Printy's season-ending ACL injury, pulling away for an 83-64 win over Indiana on Sunday. Melissa Dixon replaced Printy in the starting lineup and scored a career-high 19 points. Minnesota has three players with double-digit scoring averages, led by freshman guard Rachel Banham at 15.8 points per game. Morgan Johnson leads active Iowa players at 14.6 ppg. Iowa will be wearing pink uniforms, and any fan wearing pink will receive $2 off admission. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Kelly Krei bobblehead.

Next up for Iowa: Michigan State (home), 2 p.m. Sunday.

BIG TEN STANDINGS

Conf.

All

Purdue

9-2

19-5

Ohio State

8-2

21-2

Nebraska

8-2

19-3

Penn State

8-3

18-5

Michigan State

6-4

14-9

Michigan

6-5

17-7

Iowa

6-5

14-10

Minnesota

4-7

12-13

Wisconsin

4-7

8-15

Northwestern

3-7

13-10

Illinois

2-9

8-16

Indiana

0-11

5-19

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Minnesota at Iowa, 7 p.m.

Northwestern at Michigan State, 5 p.m.

Wisconsin at Penn State, 6 p.m.

Ohio State at Illinois, 7 p.m.

Michigan at Nebraska, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Michigan State at Iowa, 2 p.m.

Penn State at Northwestern, 1 p.m.

Illinois at Indiana, 1 p.m.

Purdue at Ohio State, 4 p.m.

MONDAY'S GAME

Nebraska at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.