The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Disterhoft’s team crowned champions

The Game Time League championship game provided little fireworks for fans in attendance Wednesday night in North Liberty — Ally Disterhoft’s and Bethany Doolittle’s team defeated Sam Logic’s team 110-91 to win the league title.

Disterhoft’s squad came out of the gates on fire and continued throughout the evening. The squad shot 47-of-87 from the field, including 9 treys on 19 attempts.

“They didn’t miss a shot; it was unbelievable,” Logic said. “It frustrating on defense when you’re there and you can’t do anything about it. They were literally hitting everything.”

Logic was without Hawkeye teammate Alexa Kastanek for the second-straight game with strained ligaments and tendons in her foot. The freshman’s absence proved to be vital, because Logic’s squad lacked a shot creator aside from the Iowa guard herself.

“You miss her edge on defense, just another person to lock up either Ally or Kathy [Thomas],” Logic said. “Obviously her intensity and effort on both ends of the floor was missed.”

Kastanek’s absence didn’t stop Logic from posting perhaps the best performance of her Game Time season. She did all she could for her team, posting a game-high 45 points as well as pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.

But the night belonged to the inside-out duo of Doolittle and Disterhoft.

Disterhoft continued her recent trend of taking charge on offense and finished with 28 points, including a 4-of-7 performance from beyond the arc. The freshman also corralled a game-high 12 boards.

Disterhoft became more and more comfortable with her role as a leader for her team as each week came and went during the summer. And Wednesday night was no different — showing no hesitation in her shot, Disterhoft wasn’t afraid to let it fly, sometimes from a few feet beyond the arc.

“I think I’ve got a lot more comfortable,” she said. “My teammates really made me more confident and playing with Bethany, she just has the most confidence in me. It’s nice when you know you have teammates that are going to back you up.”

Doolittle spent most of the night around 10-15 feet from the basket, knocking down jumpers. She finished the night with 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting.

Doolittle referenced her previous season at Iowa as a confidence builder for her current success away from the hoop.

“After last year, being more on the perimeter. I wasn’t really used to it before,” said Doolittle. “But last year got me used to it more.”

Logic’s team never stopped fighting throughout the second half, and at times, was in position to mount a comeback. But just as the squad pulled within striking distance, Disterhoft’s team then sank shots in succession and each time, went on a run of its own to establish its dominance.

Disterhoft’s team had five of its six players finish the night with double digits in scoring. And the one who did not, Thomas, scored 9.

Two standouts beyond the Doolittle-Disterhoft combo were Mackenzie Reed and Courtney Strait. Reed fell two rebounds shy of a triple-double, and Strait capped the 110-point outburst with 20 of her own.

After the buzzer sounded, Doolittle was asked how she felt winning the championship. She summed up her emotions in one word.

“Awesome.”

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