Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Lindenwood Lions

LINDENWOOD LIONS (7-2, 0-0) AT #11 IOWA HAWKEYES (9-1, 1-0)

TIME: 2:00pm CT

TV: BTN+ – Announcers TBA

SERIES: First Ever Meeting – Iowa is 12-2 all-time against OVC opponents

BY THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 82.0 PPG, 49.7% FG, 36.7% 3PT, 14.7 TO LINDENWOOD: 75.0 PPG, 45.0% FG, 37.5% 3PT, 12.3 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 55.7 PPG, 33.6% FG, 28.5% 3PT, 16.3 TO, +13.6 REB MARGIN LINDENWOOD: 58.3 PPG, 38.6% FG, 30.9% 3PT, 17.9 TO, +3.3 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Chit-Chat Wright	Point Guard	5-4/ Soph.	Averaging 12.0 PPG, 3.9 AST and 24.9 MIN. Second on the team in made threes (16), third in assists (27). 21 pts, 3 ast vs Iowa State
Taylor McCabe	Guard	5-9/ Sr.	Averaging 9.9 PPG, 4.4 REB, 2.0 AST and 28.1 MIN. Leads the team in made threes (30) and minutes (280). Has made multiple threes in nine of ten games. 11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast vs Iowa State
Kylie Feuerbach	Guard	6-0/ Grad Sr.	Averaging 5.6 PPG, 3.3 AST and 23.6 MIN. Second on the team in steals (13) and assists (33). Played in 143 career games, including 70 starts. 10 pts, 3 ast vs Iowa State
Hannah Stuelke	Forward	6-2/ Sr.	Averaging 11.3 PPG, 9.0 REB and 26.7 MIN. Leads the team in rebounds (90), second in made field goals (47). Double figures scoring in eight of ten games. 10 pts, 15 reb, 3 ast vs Iowa State
Ava Heiden	Center	6-4/ Soph.	Averaging 15.3 PPG, 8.5 REB and 23.4 MIN. Leads the team in made field goals (62) and points (153), second in rebounds (85). 8 pts, 2 reb vs Iowa State

LINDENWOOD LIONS PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Aleshia Jones	Guard	5-7/ Grad Sr.	Saginaw Valley State transfer. Averaging 15.9 PPG, 4.6 REB and 25.4 MIN. Leads the team in made field goals (57) and points (143). 20 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast vs Drake
Gracy Wernli	Guard	5-9/ rsJr.	Averaging 9.1 PPG, 2.1 REB and 25.7 MIN. Leads the team in made free throws (22), third in made threes (12). 9 pts, 3 ast vs Drake
Ellie Brueggemann	Guard	5-11/ Jr.	Averaging 13.4 PPG, 2.8 REB, 4.1 AST and 27.6 MIN. Leads the team in assists (37) and made threes (26), third in made field goals (44). 13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast vs Drake
Brooke Coffey	Forward	6-1/ Jr.	Averaging 12.6 PPG, 8.9 REB, 3.3 AST and 26.0 MIN. Leads the team in rebounds (80), second in made field goals (45). 12 pts, 9 reb vs Drake
Gracie Kelsey	Forward	6-2/ Jr.	Averaging 8.1 PPG, 5.1 REB and 23.9 MIN. Second on the team in rebounds (46), fourth in made field goals (29). 6 pts. 8 reb vs Vermont

LINDENWOOD PLAYER TO WATCH: Guard Ellie Brueggemann

One of the best players in the Ohio Valley, guard Ellie Brueggemann was a First Team All-OVC selection last season, helping the Lions to their first ever postseason appearance (WNIT). Against Baylor in their season-opener, Lindenwood was just 11-of-31 (35.5%) from two-point range and it’s possible they will have similar struggles against the Hawkeyes interior defense. Brueggemann is someone who can score away from the basket and the Lions will need that in this one.

Through nine games, she is averaging 13.4 points and 4.1 assists per game, including owning a 3.36 assist-to-turnover ratio. What stands out about her scoring is her ability to shoot it from three-point range. Through her first two seasons with the Lions, Brueggemann knocked down 152 threes (34.3%), knocking down 3+ threes in 28 games. She’s upped her three-point efficiency so far this season, connecting on 41.9% of her 62 attempts, including 3+ threes in six of nine games. Her 4.19 made threes per 40 minutes, for reference, is just behind Iowa’s Taylor McCabe who is averaging 4.27 threes per 40. She’s taken fewer midrange jumpers so far this season but shot nearly 60% (16-of-28) last season.

IOWA PLAYER TO WATCH: Center Ava Heiden

After a disappointing performance marred by foul trouble against Iowa State, it’d be surprising to not see Ava Heiden put together a strong bounce back game on Saturday. In the loss to the Cyclones, Heiden played just 15:37 and fouled out, finishing with just eight points on 4-of-7 shooting. She’s gotten off to a strong start this season, averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, including recording five double-doubles. Going up against a Lindenwood team whose tallest player in their rotation, 6-foot-4 true freshman center Anna McCarn, plays just 8.7 minutes per game, Ava should be able to dominate on the interior. I’ll take Heiden to record her sixth double-double of the season.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

The Lions are coming off of a 23-11 record that included a trip to the WNIT Super 16 for their first postseason appearance as a DI program. Head coach Amy Eagan is in her third season with the Lions, totaling a 37-34 overall record, including a 16-4 mark in OVC play last season. Lindenwood is off to a 7-2 start this season, including notable wins over Drake and Vermont.

Looking at the rest of the Lions projected starting five, Saginaw Valley State transfer guard Aleshia Jones has made a major impact as scorer. Although this is her first season at the DI level, Jones has had a very successful career, as a four-time All-Conference selection, spending time at Iowa Western and Saginaw Valley. She entered this season with 1,607 points and 532 rebounds over four seasons. In nine games, Jones is averaging a team-best 15.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, scoring 15+ points in five games. She’s made multiple threes in four games and is shooting 34.2% from long distance, but 74.0% of her 146 shot attempts come inside the arc. Jones was held to four points on 2-of-6 shooting over 21 minutes in the opener against Baylor.

At the forward position, 6-foot-1 junior Brooke Coffey is the most scorer/rebounder on the roster, combining to average 21.5 points and rebounds per game. A former Illinois State transfer, Coffey was a Second Team All-OVC selection last season and has stepped up her production through the early part of this season. She has scored in double figures in six games and has recorded four double-doubles, including putting up 24 points and ten boards against UMKC. Coffey has been efficient in the paint, converting 30-of-42 (71.4%) attempts, but she can also shoot from the perimeter. She’s averaging 0.88 made threes per game, which is very similar to last season, but has jumped from 30.1% to 34.8% from three-point range.

The tallest player in the Lions lineup, 6-foot-2 forward Gracie Kelsey is averaging 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Kelsey has seen her shot attempts per game increase from 4.5 to 7.7 this season, but her shooting percentage has dropped from 51.2% to just 42.0% through nine games. She has grabbed 5+ rebounds in five games, but after scoring in double figures in four of five games, Kelsey has struggled, shooting just 21.9% (7-of-32) from the floor.

Rounding out the projected lineup for Lindenwood is redshirt junior guard Gracy Vernli. A former Abilene Christian transfer, Vernli was impactful last season, scoring in double figures in 19 games, averaging 10.5 points per game. She’s averaging 9.1 points per game this season, shooting 50.0% from the floor and 42.9% from three-point range. Vernli was second on the team last season with 50 made triples. She was 5-of-6 from behind the arc against Hawaii, but is just 7-of-22 (31.8%) in their other eight games.

Off the bench, junior guard Mya Skoff and junior forward Alyssa Nielsen are the two notable names to know. Skoff is nearly playing starter minutes, averaging 26.2 minutes, 6.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. She hasn’t shot it well as of late, shooting just 26.3% of her last five games, but did put up 17 points and three made threes against UMKC. Nielsen is averaging 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 17.8 minutes per game. She’s had a limited offensive role but did have seven points and two made threes against Omaha.

Shooting Heat Maps (CBB Analytics): Iowa and Lindenwood

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

THE PICK

Warren Nolan Projection: IOWA 79 LINDENWOOD 60

Bart Torvik Projection: IOWA 79 LINDENWOOD 56

Very much like the Western Illinois matchup a couple of weeks ago, this is a Lindenwood team that could very well go on to win the OVC and make the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes will likely be 20-point favorites when the line opens, but the Lions have a couple of players that Iowa will have to properly handle on the defensive end. Lindenwood has done a really good job of limiting mistakes, turning it over just 12.3 times per game and they average 8.7 made threes per game.

However, two stats stand out as red flags for the Lions and green lights for the Hawkeyes. First, Lindenwood ranks 168th in total rebounding (50.0%) and is going up an Iowa side that ranks 10th (59.0%). Secondly, the Lions defense has given up 1.07 points per possession in three games against three NET Top 100 opponents. It’s a small sample, but they’ve given up just 0.825 per possession in their other five games, all against NET 181+ opponents. Iowa gets a bounce back win at home. IOWA 83 LINDENWOOD 62