No time for Lisa Bluder, Iowa to bask in victory

IOWA CITY - The Iowa Hawkeyes had a few hours to savor their overtime victory over Michigan State on Thursday.

The Iowa coaches? No such luxury.

'I quite honestly will start (scouting) Ohio State tonight,” Coach Lisa Bluder said in the postgame press conference.

Surely, she got an eyeful.

The Hawkeyes (15-9 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) face the 13th-rated Buckeyes (21-5, 11-1) at 11 a.m. (Iowa time) Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus.

It's another day, another big scorer.

After facing Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty and Michigan State's Tori Jankoska in their previous two games, the Hawkeyes now get the challenge that is Kelsey Mitchell.

'It's kind of like, you know, at least we have these three games in a row where you have to really identify that one person you've really got to glue to,” Bluder said.

A 5-foot-8 junior guard, Mitchell set the Big Ten record for points in a season (873) as a freshman, then topped that (889) last year.

Her career total now stands at 2,364. She is averaging 23.2 points per game this season.

'Hopefully we can contain her a little bit. She's terrific,” Bluder said.

The Hawkeyes are coming off their most meaningful win of the season. It elevated them into a fifth-place tie in the Big Ten, and it boosted their RPI by seven spots, to 43 as of Saturday morning.

Iowa prevailed in its first game without Tania Davis, who missed her first game after tearing the ACL in her right knee at Michigan last Sunday.

And they got by despite serious foul trouble to Megan Gustafson, their leading scorer and rebounder. Gustafson ranks sixth nationally in field-goal percentage (.657).

Ally Disterhoft tallied 25 points Thursday, moving her within 124 points of the school's career scoring record.

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