Iowa seeks state sweep Sunday at Drake

IOWA CITY — In the locker room following Iowa's win over Iowa State, Coach Lisa Bluder declared it 'a Hawkeye state' for women's basketball.

Not completely. At least, not yet.

One tricky hurdle stands between the Hawkeyes (8-3) and an undisputed mythical state championship. They'll face Drake (5-3) at the Knapp Center in Des Moines at 2 p.m. Sunday.

'We know it's going to be the toughest of our in-state games,' Bluder said Friday. 'It's always a battle over there.'

The Hawkeyes already have vanquished Northern Iowa (88-39) and ISU (88-76), and now they'll try to make it a sweep. Drake's only battle between the borders this season was a 75-67 loss at Iowa State. The Bulldogs will play UNI twice in their Missouri Valley Conference schedule.

Iowa has claimed 14 consecutive wins over Drake, but the Hawkeyes will be facing a prolific offensive squad.

The Bulldogs average 81.4 points per game. Five players average in double-figures, led by senior forward Lizzy Wendell (22.0 points per game).

Wendell has scored 2,035 points in her career, including 43 in Iowa's 100-98 win in Des Moines in 2014.

'She can post up. She runs the floor well. She can shoot the 3,' Iowa freshman Makenzie Meyer said. 'If we can stop their transition game, I think we can hold her down.'

The two programs are full of ties.

Before her time at Iowa, Bluder coached 10 years at Drake. Her top two assistants — Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald — played there.

And Drake Coach Jennie (Lillis) Baranczyk played for Bluder from 2000 through 2004. She ranks in Iowa's top 10 in career points, rebounds and steals.

'She was a blue-collar player, and she's a blue-collar coach,' Bluder said of Baranczyk. 'She has a great connection with her players. She's passionate, she's emotional and she doesn't take any short cuts.'

Basically bare of Iowans when Baranczyk took over four years ago, Drake's roster now has five in-state players, including Miss Iowa Basketball 2015 Nicole Miller (sophomore from North Linn) and Paige Greiner (junior from Williamsburg).

'They're a really, really good team,' Iowa's Tania Davis said. 'They're great offensively, so everybody has to be prepared to guard their girl.'

Iowa counters with senior Ally Disterhoft (17.3 ppg), whose mother Missy played at Drake (1985-89). Sophomore Megan Gustafson adds 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and Davis scores at an 11.1-point clip.

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