Hawkeyes hope to slow Mitchell, Alston again

IOWA CITY - Adjust, but don't overthink.

That's how Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder goes about game-planning for Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston.

'You figure they're going to make adjustments, and we'll have to adjust to that,” Bluder said Thursday as the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes (21-5 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) prepared for Ohio State (18-9, 10-5).

'But you have to remember what got you there.”

When the teams met at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 5, the Hawkeyes put the clamps on the high-scoring duo - relatively speaking.

Mitchell scored 15 points, Alston 11 in Iowa's 73-65 victory. They average 24.9 and 20.1, respectively.

Mitchell, a freshman, leads the nation in scoring and 3-point goals per game. She is a shade ahead of Iowa's Melissa Dixon in the latter category.

The rematch is 6 p.m. (Iowa time) Saturday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Iowa is coming off a 93-80 loss at Minnesota in which Gophers post Amanda Zahui B. rocked the Hawkeyes for 39 points and 29 rebounds.

'We didn't play our best, obviously, and we were upset about it,” Dixon said. 'But now it comes down to how we react to that, and how we bounce back.”

The Hawkeyes have been bounce-back masters, avoiding back-to-back losses all season.

That's experience, Bluder said.

'When you have experience at those three positions (Dixon at shooting guard, Samantha Logic at the point and Bethany Doolittle at the post), that helps a ton,” Bluder said. 'I have so much confidence in those kids at those spots.”

The Minnesota game was Iowa's third in six days. The Hawkeyes took Wednesday off from practice, then began preparation for the Buckeyes.

'This is the time of the year when you get a little bit tired,” Bluder said. 'I'm a little concerned about that.”

Freshman Whitney Jennings already has noticed the toll that the dog days of February have taken. Her regular season as an Indiana high-schooler was 21 games (as it is in Iowa). This year, it's 26 down, with three regular-season games to go, then the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

'It's a grind, for sure,” Jennings said. 'Fortunately, we have these great seniors to lean on and tell you what to expect.”

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