After missing the past three weeks while batting a severe case of pneumonia, senior Alison Lacey finally made her return to the court Sunday night in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Her return brought Iowa State good fortunes, and the Cyclones (24–7) crushed Lehigh 79–42 to advance to the second round against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

While Lacey received the largest pre-game ovation from the crowd, it was the play of two freshmen that stole the show on the court in their first NCAA appearances. 

Anna Prins notched her first double-double of the season — leading all players with 21 points and 10 rebounds — while Chelsea Poppens followed with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Despite her high numbers, Poppens sat for most of the first half due to foul trouble and only played 17 minutes in the game. All but two points and two rebounds of her total were accumulated in the second half.

“Prins was outstanding,” said Lehigh coach Sue Troyan. “We didn’t have an answer for her. We tried to double her and we tried to make her play to her weakness, but she still got it done. Then you had Poppens, who was tremendous as well.”

Iowa State’s group of post players single-handedly scored more points than the entire Mountain Hawks team, as Prins, Poppens, Amanda Zimmerman and Genesis Lightbourne combined for 48 total points.

The Cyclones decisively won the battle in the paint, outscoring undersized Lehigh 36–10 inside the lane.

“Our posts played really well,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “We definitely had a size advantage, but you still have to play hard and you still have to make shots. They did everything you can ask and more.”

Lacey, who played more than two seconds of a game for the first time since a home game against Kansas State on Feb. 27, chipped in seven points, seven assists, and four rebounds in her 29 minutes on the floor.

She has been on a short leash as far as practice time goes this week, and Fennelly said he allowed her to pull herself in and out of practice as she felt necessary.

“I felt good for the most part,” Lacey said. “I definitely had to knock off some rust, but I’m happy to be out there with my team, and to be able to play in Hilton again is great.”

Outstanding free-throw shooting was a trending topic for both teams in the game, as the Cyclones and Mountain Hawks combined to convert on 29 of their 32 shots from the charity stripe.

Poppens was the only Cyclone to shoot more than two free throws in the game, and converted on all of her eight chances.

Next up for the Cyclones is the No. 12 seed in the Dayton Region, Wisconsin-Green Bay, which advanced earlier in the evening by upsetting the No. 5 Virginia Cavaliers 69–67. The Phoenix made a living from the free-throw line in the game, as they made 34-of-40 shots from the line to help them make up for their 30 glaring turnovers.

With the win, Green Bay became the lowest seed to win an NCAA Tournament game this year.

Tip-off between the Cyclones and the Phoenix is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hilton Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.