Hawkeyes took a step forward ... a small one

SPOKANE, Wash. – A step forward? Probably. Maybe. Depends on your point of view.

In terms of wins and losses, the University of Iowa enjoyed its best women's basketball season (22-9) in 15 years.

The Hawkeyes qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. They reached 20-plus wins for the fourth straight year.

“We've established a tradition,” Coach Lisa Bluder said after the 25

^th

-ranked Hawkeyes were bumped from the tournament Saturday in the first round, 92-86, by No. 20 Gonzaga at McCarthey Athletic Center.

“These seniors have been here every year. We've finished toward the top of the Big Ten every year.”

On the other hand, the Hawkeyes went one-and-out in the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA after advancing further in both in 2010.

They were victimized by difficult draws in both. Iowa faced a blazing Ohio State team in the Big Ten quarterfinals, losing 71-61 to the eventual tournament champion.

In the NCAA, Iowa earned a No. 6 seed in the Spokane Region, but was shipped to face the 11

^th

-seeded Bulldogs on their home floor.

Courtney Vandersloot scored 34 points, Kayla Standish added 30, and that was enough for Gonzaga to offset Iowa's school-record 13 3-pointers.

When the Hawkeyes' fate was sealed in the final seconds, the pep band chanted for what the team had been wanting all along: “Neu-tral  site! Neu-tral site!”

The Hawkeyes are not an elite team, but consistently solid on an annual basis.

 “The program is around where we want it to be,” Bluder said. “But we hope for the opportunity to go further next year.”

The potential is there. Iowa returns four starters for 2011-12: Jaime Printy, Kamille Wahlin, Morgan Johnson and Kelly Krei.

Wahlin (a junior) and Printy (a sophomore) both eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone this season. With 1,021 points, Printy is on pace to make a run at Cindy Haugejorde's school record of 2,059.

And depth, which has been a sorely lacking the last couple seasons, ought to be much better next season.

The Hawkeyes welcome a recruiting class rated 11

^th

nationally by hoopgurlz.com, including Samantha Logic – the 10

^th

-rated senior in the country – and Iowa City High's Virginia Johnson.

Plus, there's sophomore Theairra Taylor, an athletic wing who is trying to rehabilitate a torn ACL for the third time.

On the other hand, there is one giant hole to fill, that of emotional leader Kachine Alexander.

“Replacing Kachine is going to be tough,” Bluder said. “To replace her competitive spirit is going to be very, very difficult.”

Alexander leaves as the school's second leading rebounder. She accumulated 34 career double-doubles.

“I hope I've helped create a legacy,” Alexander said. “It's up to the other girls to keep it going.”