Iowa looks to finish conference season strong

The Iowa Hawkeye women close out the home schedule this week against a pair of rated foes beginning with tonight’s matchup against 11th ranked Minnesota. The Hawks are 8-4 in the Big Ten.Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says it’s a big week with the final two home games, including Penn State on Sunday. Bluder says saying goodbye to the three seniors will put an emotional spin on the games. At 14-9 overall, Bluder feels the Hawks are in a good position in terms of the NCAA Tournament but this is another chance for an impressive win. She says that would be an advantage, but she says the Big Ten is the number one conference in America, and she feels they’ll take a number of teams.Minnesota comes in off a win at Illinois. An impressive victory considering the Gophers lost two-time All-American Lindsey Whalen to a broken hand. Minnesota coach Pam Borton who says the victory over Illinois gave them a shot of confidence.