Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Loyola-Chicago

LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS (6-4) AT #4 IOWA HAWKEYES (11-1)

TIME: 5:00pm CT

TV: BTN+ – A.J. Reisetter and Vivian Sumoski

SERIES: First Ever Meeting – Iowa is 12-1 all-time against the Atlantic 10

THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 89.9 PPG, 50.8% FG, 36.1% 3PT, 14.0 TO LOYOLA: 64.7 PPG, 38.7% FG, 33.5% 3PT, 17.1 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 65.3 PPG, 37.5% FG, 28.4% 3PT, 14.8 TO, +10.3 REB MARGIN LOYOLA: 63.2 PPG, 42.3% FG, 36.6% 3PT, 19.6 TO, +0.1 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED LINEUP

Caitlin Clark	Point Guard	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging 30.2 PPG, 6.8 REB and 7.2 AST. Leads the country in points (362) and assists (86), second in three-pointers (56). 38 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast vs Cleveland State.
Gabbie Marshall	Guard	5-9/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 4.5 PPG and 1.2 REB. Second on the team in made threes (15). 1/14 from 3pt range over the last three games.
Kate Martin	Guard	6-0/ Grad Sr	Averaging 11.4 PPG, 5.1 REB and 2.3 AST. Second on the team in made field goals (52), shooting 54.2% from the floor. 15 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast vs Cleveland State.
Hannah Stuelke	Forward	6-2/ Soph.	Averaging 13.2 PPG and 6.9 REB. Leads the team in offensive rebounds (26). Shooting 76.9% from the free throw line. 17 pts, 13 reb vs Cleveland State.
Sharon Goodman	Center	6-3/RS Jr.	Averaging 9.0 PPG and 5.5 REB. Shooting 70.3% from the floor and second on the team in offensive rebounds (22). 8 pts, 10 reb vs Cleveland State.

LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Alyssa Fisher	Guard	5-7/ Grad Sr.	Averaging 13.1 PPG, 2.6 REB and 2.9 AST. Scored in double figures in six games and has made a team-high 17 threes. 26 pts, 3 ast vs SIUE.
Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr	Guard	5-8/ Sr.	Averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.7 REB. Has 32 rebounds over the last five games. 14 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast vs SIUE.
Sam Galanopoulos	Guard	5-8/ Grad Sr.	Averaging 12.6 PPG, 3.3 REB and 5.0 AST. Six games with 10+ pts and five games with 5+ assists. 13 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast vs SIUE.
Ali Berg	Forward	6-1/ Grad Sr.	Averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.4 REB. Scored in double figures twice. 5+ rebounds in three games.
Sitori Tanin	Forward	6-2/ Sr.	11.3 PPG and 6.9 REB. Tallest player on the roster. 10+ points in six games, 10+ rebounds in three games. Leads the team with 29 offensive boards.

LOYOLA-CHICAGO PLAYER TO WATCH: G Alyssa Fisher

A grad transfer from St Francis, Alyssa Fisher was a First Team All-NEC selection last season and has quickly become one of the top scoring threats for Loyola. Last time out against SIU-Edwardsville, Fisher finished with 26 points and three assists. She knocked down two late three-pointers, including one with 4.3 remaining to give them the win. Fisher has scored in double figures six times this season and leads the team with 17 made three-pointers. In a game where Iowa has a distinct advantage in the interior, Loyola will need their guards to make shots.

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: Sharon Goodman/Hannah Stuelke vs Ali Berg/Sitori Tanin

The Iowa starting lineup will have 6’2 Hannah Stuelke and 6’3 Sharon Goodman, while Loyola-Chicago will counter with 6’1 Ali Berg and 6’2 Sitori Tanin. The Ramblers will bring the Nolan sisters off of the bench and they are both 6’1, but they will still be outmatched in the post. Loyola will be challenged on both ends of the floor. On the offensive end, they have to find a way to get their third leading scorer Sitori Tanin (11.3 ppg) good looks inside. Defensively, they will have to keep Stuelke and Goodman from getting easy looks, while also keeping them off the offensive glass. This is the key matchup to watch and if it goes Iowa’s way right from the opening tip, it will be a long night for the Ramblers.

THE BREAKDOWN

The Ramblers are in their second year under head coach Allison Guth and have shown growth in year two. After going 6-24 last season, including a 1-15 mark in Atlantic 10 play, Loyola is 6-4 this season. Most notably, they defeated Northwestern 73-68, but have losses to UIC, Cleveland State, Brown and DePaul.

Taking a look at the rest of the starting lineup, guard Sam Galanopoulos is right alongside Alyssa Fisher as a top scorer for the Ramblers. She has scored in double figures in six games, including three games with 20+ points. Galanopoulos scored a career-high 27 points earlier in the year against Bradley, while also recording 5+ assists in five games. She has taken just 33 three-pointers, but has knocked down 15 of them (45.5%).

Rounding out the starting guards, Iona transfer Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr is averaging 61 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. She leads the team in shooting percentage at 50.0% and has scored in double figures in two of the last three games. She finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists last time out against SIUE. Over the last six games, Hodge-Carr is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game.

In the interior, the Ramblers are a bit undersized with 6’1 forward Ali Berg and 6’2 forward Sitori Tanin. A transfer from IUPUI, Berg is averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. She has struggled, shooting just 28.3% from the floor, but has scored in double figures twice. For Sitori Tanin, she is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while scoring in double figures six times. Tanin has been a good rebounder, as she has pulled down a team-leading 29 offensive rebounds and has three games with 10+ boards. She is third on the team averaging 9.5 shot attempts per game and is second on the team in shooting percentage at 43.2%.

Off the bench, there is not a whole lot to discuss for the Ramblers, as 74.4% of their scoring comes from the starting lineup. Sophomore guard Kira Chivers status for the game is unknown, as she has missed the last two games. She is averaging 5.1 points per game. The other two names to know are grad senior sisters, Emma and Sophia Nolan. Emma is averaging 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while Sophia is averaging 3.2 points per game. Emma has pulled down 5+ rebounds in five games this season, but is averaging 7.8 fouls per 40 minutes.

A deeper look at the stats behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Ramblers…

THE PICK

The final non-conference game of the season for the Hawkeyes should be nothing more than a final tune-up before the hop back into Big Ten play. This Loyola Ramblers team is improved compared to last season, but the numbers in the chart above spell trouble for them in this matchup. Iowa will have a height advantage in the post, which should lead to good days for Goodman and Stuelke. Another important note, Loyola’s best win is against NET 220 Milwaukee and they lost to NET 93 DePaul by 21 points. Warren Nolan projects Iowa to win 84-54, but we know how things go offensively for Iowa in these types of games. The Hawkeyes have not scored less than 87 points in their last 13 games against NET 100+ teams over the last two seasons and are averaging 97.4 points per game over that span. IOWA 100 LOYOLA-CHICAGO 60