A lopsided first half was more than enough to allow Iowa State to cruise to an easy victory against in-state rival Drake on Tuesday. 

After leading 51-13 at halftime — behind 58.6-percent shooting and a shooting lull from its opponent — No. 24 Iowa State (5-0) beat Drake (1-4) 87-45 in the first of three in-state rivalry games to be played in a three-week period. 

Following a basket at 12:04 in the first half, the Bulldogs went 8:48 without scoring a basket as Iowa State went on a 30-3 run. Drake ended the drought with a basket at 3:16, but headed to halftime down 38 points.

“We just challenged them to go out and guard and take away certain things,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “Their starters only scored 11 points. I don’t care what you’re doing, you’re guarding somebody right when that happens.”

Forward Hallie Christofferson said one of the keys to the team’s strong defensive effort in the first half was communication. 

“We were just communicating very well and talking about where the shooters were,” Christofferson said. 

Iowa State was without its leader as senior forward Chelsea Poppens missed her second consecutive game with a concussion. Poppens sustained the concussion in the Bahamas last Friday. 

The Cyclones had the hot hand in the victory with three players reaching double-digit point totals in the first half alone. Iowa State was led on the night by Christofferson, who scored 20 points and contributed 10 rebounds.  

Fennelly was impressed with how well Chrisofferson played in only 24 minutes, and the junior stood out to Drake, too. 

“I think Hallie Christofferson does a phenomenal job inside, she does a phenomenal job outside,” said Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk. “She’s an all-conference player.”

Iowa State played reserves for the majority of the second half and every player saw action in the team’s victory. 

Sophomore guard Nikki Moody recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 assists. Senior center Anna Prins had 17 points for the Cyclones. 

With the win, the ISU women’s basketball team is now 26-26 all-time against Drake. The Cyclones will play Iowa next Thursday and Northern Iowa on Dec. 17, both of those games are on the road.