Just like always, Chelsea Poppens stood and high-fived one of her teammates following an ISU 3-pointer on Tuesday.

It wasn’t any different; Poppens and her teammates often cheer on the team when on the bench. On Tuesday night against Drake, however, Poppens wasn’t in uniform as the senior forward was forced to sit, having sustained a concussion last week.

With its Preseason All-Big 12 First Team player sidelined, the No. 24 Cyclones still cruised to an easy victory against in-state rival Drake 87-45.

After the game, some were curious how noticeable the absence of the team’s star was after the sharp performance.

“We definitely noticed,” said forward Hallie Christofferson. “She really helped us from the bench, I could hear her from the floor. She wasn’t playing, but she was still with us.”

Poppens sustained the concussion last Friday against Loyola Marymount while going after a loose ball when the team was in the Bahamas. The senior missed the team’s next game against Illinois on Saturday before sitting out a second consecutive game against Drake on Tuesday.

Behind Christofferson, who scored 20 points and brought down 10 rebounds in only 24 minutes, the Cyclones managed to get by just fine. Even with a different look, the team was still plenty impressive to its opponent.

“That’s the No. 24 team in the country,” said Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk as she stepped to the podium following the game. “Iowa State is going to have a really great year; I think they’re going to do a great job in the Big 12.”

In the two full games without Poppens, Iowa State has beaten Illinois and Drake by a combined 60 points. Christofferson, in that span, has averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds and has shot 68.8 percent from the field in only 23 minutes per game. 

Through the first five games of her junior season, Christofferson is averaging 15.2 points per game and is 9-of-20 from 3-point range for a team that has made a 3-pointer in an NCAA-record 553 consecutive games. 

“Especially with Pop not around, we need [Christofferson] to be that kind of person to want the ball, shoot the ball, score the ball,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “The last 32 minutes she’s played, she can’t play any better.”

The team can’t play much better, either, and Fennelly said he is pleased with how it has performed under the circumstances. Guard Nikki Moody has 31 points and 16 assists in the last two games.

When the team does finally reach full strength, Baranczyk said the Cyclones will be a team to watch.

“You talk about Chelsea Poppens, and she puts a whole other dimension to this team and we didn’t even see it tonight,” Baranczyk said. “They’re getting confidence without her right now, and I think that’s only going to help them.”

The goal is to have Poppens back when the team plays another in-state rival, Iowa, next Thursday. Fennelly said the team should know more about her condition on Monday.

For now, she’s getting anxious to return to the court.

“She’s probably getting worried because we’re playing so well without her,” Fennelly joked. “She’s a lot better player than she is an assistant coach.”