Hawkeyes will have to bring their own energy against Illinois

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes begin the Big Ten women's basketball grind Wednesday afternoon, and the theme is BYOE.

Bring your own energy.

'We have to stay focused and engage in their environment, because it's not an exciting environment,' Coach Lisa Bluder said.

The Hawkeyes (9-4) face Illinois (5-8) at 3 p.m. at in Champaign, Ill. They can't afford to be listless in a venue void of excitement (the average attendance at State Farm Center is 1,266). After all, they've lost two of their last three games in Champaign.

It would be silly to call this a must-win, but it's one the Hawkeyes need to get if they want to make an early Big Ten push.

The first four games of the conference schedule — at Illinois, Nebraska at home, at Penn State, Illinois at home — are favorable.

'It's really important, if we want to be (a factor) ... these are the games we really need to win,' Bluder said.

Maryland and Ohio State head into conference play as the favorites. After that, it's anybody's guess. Indiana was the surprise of the league last year, and Bluder feels her team is capable of seizing that role this winter.

'I don't see why it couldn't be us,' she said. 'The third spot is up in the air, and teams like Michigan and Northwestern look good so far. I think we look pretty good, as well.'

Ally Disterhoft leads the Hawkeyes at 17.8 points per game. The senior has moved to No. 5 on Iowa's all-time career scoring chart, with 1,774 points, and needs 286 to surpass Cindy Haugejorde (1976-80) at the top of the chart.

Sophomore post Megan Gustafson (16.6 ppg) is third in the Big Ten in rebounding at 10.2 per game, and ranks No. 1 in field goal percentage (.676).

'We really started to see glimpses of it in the middle of last season,' Bluder said. 'The thing I like most about Megan is that she never takes a possession off. I mean, never.'

Alex Wittinger paces the Illini at 14.8 points per game. Courtney Joens, a freshman from Iowa City High, has played in all 13 games and is fifth on the team in scoring at 6.0 ppg.

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