Women's Basketball Breakdown: Iowa vs. Penn State
Breaking down Saturday's game between Iowa and Penn State.
Game facts
Time and place — 2 p.m. (CST), Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
TV — BTN-Plus (online only)
Radio — Hawkeye Radio Network
Records — Iowa 21-5 (12-3 Big Ten), Penn State 7-19 (1-14)
Rankings — Iowa is No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the USA Today coaches poll.
RPI — Iowa 11, Penn State 209
Series — Penn State leads, 30-21.
Earlier this season — Iowa won, 77-66, on Jan. 30 in State College, Pa.
The lineups
Iowa — Amanda Ollinger (F, 6-1, Sr., 7.1 ppg.), Monika Czinano (C, 6-3, Soph., 15.3 ppg.), Kathleen Doyle (G, 5-9, Sr., 18.3 ppg.), Makenzie Meyer (G, 5-9, Sr., 14.5 ppg.), Alexis Sevillian (G, 5-9, Jr., 6.8 ppg.)
Penn State — Alisia Smith (F, 6-3, Jr., 6.8 ppg.), Lauren Ebo (F, 6-4, Soph., 5.8 ppg.), Siyeh Frazier (G, 5-9, Sr., 12.3 ppg.), Kamaria McDaniel (G, 5-10, Jr., 19.5 ppg.), Makenna Marisa (G, 5-11, Fr., 9.3 ppg.)
What to watch
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder knows that the Nittany Lions could be a trap.
Penn State has struggled all season — the Nittany Lions have lost 11 consecutive games, and haven't won since an 86-73 home win over Michigan State on Jan. 9.
"Certainly, you know, we don't want them to look at (Penn State's) record and think this is an automatic (win)," Bluder said earlier in the week.
The Hawkeyes haven't played since last Sunday's 97-71 win over Wisconsin, a break that the team has found to be refreshing.
This game will showcase two of the frontrunners for Big Ten player of the year in Doyle and McDaniel. Both are among the league scoring leaders, but Doyle has some help around her, which will make a difference in this game.
Iowa can clinch a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament with one more win. The Hawkeyes' 34-game home winning streak is also on the line.
