Hallie Christofferson played arguably the best game of her career Nov. 10 against North Dakota.

With a career record 32 points and 11 rebounds, the senior was as productive as she had ever been. Perhaps the only person in Hilton Coliseum to be unaware of her impact was herself as she walked off the court to a standing ovation with about five minutes left in the game.

“Actually I didn’t really think about that until I got to the bench,” Christofferson said of her record-setting performance. “My teammates got me the ball, and I was able to finish around the basket.”

The Cyclones fittingly scored 32 points in the paint as well, better than either exhibition game total. The statistic that jumped out to the team, however, was the work in the paint on missed shots.

The Cyclones out-rebounded North Dakota 44 to 40 despite ISU coach Bill Fennelly saying it would likely be a weak spot for the team this season. Iowa State also overcame the height advantage North Dakota possessed, with the starting line-up being almost nine inches taller than the Cyclones’.

Players like Christofferson, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, quietly did her work under the hoop. Even competing against players taller than her, Christofferson found a way to win the battle under the hoop, earning her a spot as Big 12 Player of the Week.

“It’s always awesome to see her succeed on the court and she’s a big part of this team,” said Nicole “Kidd” Blaskowsky regarding Christofferson. “It’s great to know that we have a post player that’s willing to fight for us and that’s what builds trust as a team.”

Blaskowsky herself played an important role against North Dakota, recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was her first career double-double as the 10 rebounds is also the highest of her career.

The sophomore also drew two charges and drained four 3-pointers to give the Cyclones a spark on both ends of the floor. Against a South Dakota team that has averaged 48.0 rebounds per game through two games, the Cyclones will be counting on the energetic Blaskowsky to be aggressive under the hoop again.

“Unless something really weird happens, we aren’t getting taller by Wednesday night,” Fennelly said. “It’s a mindset. You’ve just got to get tougher.”

South Dakota will not be a team lighting up the scoreboard. Through two games the team averages 67 points and has turned the ball over 51 times.

Junior guard, Nicole Seekamp has proven to be the team’s leader, averaging 19.0 points through two games after being the Summit League Tournament MVP last season. However, the emphasis will be on staying out of foul trouble as the Coyotes have made more free throws (50) than field goals (36) this season.

Fennelly’s solution is getting the ball to more players. Highly-touted freshman Jadda Buckley leads the team with six assists, but Fennelly wants to see more shots out of the high school 3-point specialist.

“It’s ridiculous to think [Christofferson] can score 32 points every night,” Fennelly said. “We’ve got to get [Buckley] to shoot more. I’ve never had a player I’ve had to beg to shoot, ever.”

Perhaps with a combination of Christofferson’s quiet attack and Blaskowsky’s energetic spark, players like Buckley can find the perfect balance.

“I need to get some of Kidd’s blood into [Buckley],” Fennelly joked. “If it feels like leather, Kidd’s going to shoot it.”

Tipoff between Iowa State and South Dakota is set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Hilton Coliseum.