By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen got the text from her daughter on Monday, informing her that the Hawkeyes had moved into the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for the first time since the end … Continue reading Hawkeyes Reach Top 10, But Jensen Wants More Lasting Power
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP It’s been so long since Ben McCollum has suffered through a three-game losing streak, it’s been purged from his memory bank. McCollum, in his first season as Iowa’s men’s basketball coach, is going through one now heading … Continue reading McCollum, Hawkeyes Dealing With A Three-Game Losing Streak
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Two of the nation’s top point guards will match up in Iowa’s game at Purdue on Wednesday. Their impacts, Iowa coach Ben McCollum said on Tuesday, are different. Purdue’s Braden Smith and Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz are both … Continue reading Purdue’s Actions Will Test Hawkeyes
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Mia Nicastro’s approach to every game is the same. “I kind of like to come into every game with the mentality and the mindset that I’m the best player on the floor,” the Western Illinois senior forward … Continue reading THE MONDAY TIPOFF: ‘Superstar’ Nicastro Has The Mindset, And The Numbers To Go With It
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP IOWA CITY, Iowa — The final deficit was six points, and Ben McCollum knew where to find them. Iowa’s 75-69 loss to Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was frustrating for the first year coach of the Hawkeyes, who … Continue reading ILLINOIS 75, IOWA 69: The Finishing Pieces Are Elusive For Hawkeyes
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois’ women’s basketball team won’t be back at Western Hall for a while. But the Leathernecks leave for a four-game road trip at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Mia Nicastro scored 25 points as the Leathernecks defeated Tennessee Tech 77-60 on Saturday. Western Illinois, 13-2 overall, is tied for the OVC lead with Southern Indiana with a 5-1 league mark. The Leathernecks’ upcoming road trip will end with a January 24 game against the Screaming Eagles. “I think this win, more than any others we probably had, has kind of … Continue reading WIU 77, TENNESSEE TECH 60: Leathernecks Hit The Road
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP MACOMB, Ill. — Isaiah Griffin knows how quickly a season can flip. Griffin was on an Idaho State team two seasons ago that finished 14-20 and went 7-11 in Big Sky Conference play. But the Vandals got hot in the conference tournament, winning two games to reach the semifinals as the eighth seed in the 10-team event. It’s why Griffin, now playing at Western Illinois, is telling his teammates to keep working this season despite their current record. “I’m one of the older guys, I’ve played a lot,” Griffin said after the Leathernecks fell to Tennessee State … Continue reading TENNESSEE STATE 90, WIU 68: Leathernecks’ Skid Hits Five Games
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP It was a timeout that was needed, but Ben McCollum knew it wasn’t a good time for his voice. Iowa’s 21-point lead from early in the second half of Saturday’s game against UCLA at Carver-Hawkeye Arena had … Continue reading THE MONDAY TIPOFF: Hawkeyes Have Found Their Pulse In First Season Under McCollum
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP IOWA CITY, Iowa — It was 5 minutes and 44 seconds that Jan Jensen thinks can last the rest of the season. That was the time it took for Iowa’s women’s basketball team to break open a … Continue reading IOWA 86, NEBRASKA 76: Hawkeyes’ Final Run May Be A Sign Of What’s To Come
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP IOWA CITY, Iowa — And now it’s all Big Ten the rest of the way. Iowa wrapped up its nonconference portion of its men’s basketball schedule with a 90-62 rout of UMass Lowell at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on … Continue reading IOWA 90, UMASS LOWELL 62: It’s All Big Ten From Here
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