Hawkeyes slow Ohio State scoring duo

IOWA CITY - Lisa Bluder saluted her team's defensive effort against Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston.

But she wouldn't detail it.

'We have to play them again,” Bluder said, shaking her head.

No. 17 Iowa put the brakes on the Buckeyes' high-scoring duo, holding it to 20 points below its season average Thursday night. That, and a sprint at the start, sent the Hawkeyes to a 73-65 Big Ten women's basketball victory in front of 4,572 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The nation's leading scorer at 26 points per game, Mitchell managed only 15 Thursday. The freshman was at a season-low 12 before sinking three free throws with 8 seconds left.

'You have to know where she is at all times,” said Iowa's Samantha Logic. 'You have to contest everything she does.”

Alston also was well off her average (20.6 ppg), managing just 11.

'I thought our defensive effort was outstanding tonight,” Bluder said. 'That, obviously, was a key to our win tonight.

'Our players did a great job communicating, and did a great job on those two players.”

Iowa (18-4 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) shot to a 20-point lead midway through the first half, then had a suitable answer after the Buckeyes (15-8, 7-4) snuck within 55-54 on Mitchell's basket with 8 minutes left.

The Hawkeyes assembled a pair of 7-0 runs to push the lead back to 10, and eventually won for the 13th time without a loss at Carver this season.

'We were able to keep the crowd into it,” Logic said. 'If you still have the lead, you still feel better about it.”

Ally Disterhoft led the Hawkeyes with 21 points, her fourth straight game with 20-plus.

'It was just my teammates finding me,” she said. 'Lots of ball movement. That's Iowa women's basketball.”

Bethany Doolittle tacked on 19 points and 13 rebounds. Melissa Dixon scored 13 points, Whitney Jennings 12.

Logic posted six points, nine rebounds and 12 assists, but committed seven turnovers.

Dixon and Mitchell entered the game ranked 1-2 in the nation in 3-pointers per game. Dixon hit on three shots from long distance; Mitchell was 1 of 6.

Jennings had the hot hand in a prolonged Iowa run that put the Hawkeyes well in front. She tallied 10 points in a 30-6, seven-minute surge that gave Iowa a 32-12 advantage.

But the Hawkeyes cooled, Ohio State warmed up and made it extremely interesting.

It was 41-29 at halftime, then a 12-0 run closed it to a single point at the 8:00 mark.

Logic's left-handed shot, Dixon's 3-pointer and Doolittle's baseline bucket extended the margin to 62-54, and the Hawkeyes could exhale again.

Only seven players dressed for Ohio State, and two of them (Alston and Shayla Cooper) fouled out.

Iowa has rebounded impressively after all four of its losses this season.

'That's what we've been doing all season - bouncing back strong,” Doolittle said.

The Hawkeyes owned a 46-43 rebounding advantage. It was just the sixth time this season that Iowa has outboarded an opponent.

Iowa is at Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Sunday.

IOWA 73, OHIO STATE 65

At Carver-Hawkeye Arena

OHIO STATE (65): Alexa Hart 7-9 0-2 14, Kelsey Mitchell 4-12 6-7 15, Cait Craft 1-2 0-0 3, Ameryst Alston 4-15 2-2 11, Asia Doss 4-13 0-0 9, Lisa Blair 1-2 0-0 2, Shayla Cooper 5-13 0-1 11. Totals 26-66 8-12 65.

IOWA (73): Bethany Doolittle 9-20 1-2 19, Ally Disterhoft 6-18 8-10 21, Whitney Jennings 5-9 0-0 12, Melissa Dixon 4-8 2-2 13, Samantha Logic 2-10 2-4 6, Alexa Kastanek 0-0 0-0 0, Claire Till 0-0 0-0 0, Christina Buttenham 0-1 0-0 0, Kali Peschel 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 27-70 13-18 73.

Halftime: Iowa 41, Ohio State 29. 3-point goals: Ohio State 5-17 (Mitchell 1-6, Craft 1-2, Alston 1-5, Doss 1-2, Cooper 1-2), Iowa 6-19 (Disterhoft 1-4, Jennings 2-4, Dixon 3-7, Logic 0-2, Peschel 0-2). Team fouls: Ohio State 18, Iowa 14. Fouled out: Alston, Cooper. Technical fouls: Ohio State bench. Rebounds: Ohio State 43 (Cooper 11), Iowa 46 (Doolittle 13). Assists: Ohio State 10 (Mitchell, Craft 4), Iowa 20 (Logic 12). Steals: Ohio State 8 (Doss 4), Iowa 6 (Doolittle 5). Turnovers: Ohio State 21, Iowa 17.

Attendance: 4,572.

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