Hawkeyes host Mitchell, Big Ten-leading Buckeyes

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes are about to take a trip down Prolificity Avenue.

With seven losses in their last 10 games, the Hawkeyes (15-9 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) have to deal with two of the top four scorers in the nation in the next five days.

Up next is Kelsey Mitchell and sixth-ranked Ohio State (19-4, 11-1) which earned sole possession of the Big Ten lead with a win over Maryland on Monday.

And on deck is Minnesota's Rachel Banham, who merely dropped an NCAA record-tying 60 points against Northwestern on Monday.

First things first, because the Buckeyes warrant all of Iowa's attention, and then some. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'They have a ton of weapons,' Iowa junior Ally Disterhoft said. 'They're in the top 10 for a reason. We're going to have to bring our 'A' game. Obviously, it would be a huge win.'

Six regular-season games remain for the Hawkeyes, and Ohio State is the last ranked team on the schedule.

'We have a big challenge ahead of us,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'They are an incredible basketball team. Mitchell is fun to watch. She can shoot the 3-pointer so easy, and she can get to the rim.'

A 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, Mitchell ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game. She shoots 41 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free-throw line.

She's the headliner for the Buckeyes, but far from the entire story. Three others average in double-figures, and Ohio State's 85.7 points per game rank fourth nationally.

Despite the outcome, Iowa came out of its last game — a 74-69 loss to Michigan State — with some encouraging signs.

'It's disheartening when you don't see the results, but we're getting better,' Chase Coley said. 'Our time is coming once we put it all together.'

Other than three minutes for Kali Peschel and three for Alexa Kastanek, Bluder went with a rotation of six against the Spartans — Coley and Megan Gustafson in the post, Disterhoft at the wing, Whitney Jennings and Tania Davis as the guards and Christina Buttenham off the bench.

'I don't think it will always be that way, but those six are playing pretty darn well,' Bluder said. 'I'd like to use more people than that, and I know (Kastanek and Peschel) can do more for us.'

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