On the night that former Cyclone Angie Welle saw her famous number 32 unfurled in the rafters of Hilton Coliseum, it was fitting that the action on the court was strikingly reminiscent of the style of play that made Welle dangersouly effective a decade ago.

Rather than shooting opponents down from long range as it has all season, Iowa State (20-5, 8-4 in the Big 12) switched their focus to the paint, where they outscored Missouri 34-16. 

The Cyclones made a season-low two three-pointers against the Tigers.

At times, freshman Chelsea Poppens appeared to be the second coming of Welle, contributing a prolific, yet efficient performance by shooting 9-12 from the floor on her way to a team-high 21 points and 16 rebounds.

“The matchup is better for (Poppens) against Missouri,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “They were very committed to not let us shoot the three. So when that happens you have to be able to throw the ball into the post once and awhile and score. Tonight Pop wanted the ball, and we got her the ball, which allowed her to score in a variety of ways.” 

Poppens has come on strong for the Cyclones in recent weeks, as she has pulled down 46 rebounds in her last four consecutive games (11.5 per game), and notched her third career double-double on Saturday night.

Her 16 rebounds were a career high while coming just one point short of her career high in scoring, a testament to the hard work she’s been putting in during conference play.

“I’ve been working on my shooting and being more powerful and strong underneath the basket,” Poppens said. “And it’s started to transfer over to the games.”

Even after making 36 threes in their previous two games, the Iowa State coaching staff had decided early to make the inside game be a key factor against Missouri. 

The outcome was similar to the game plan that allowed Poppens to score 14 points in the first half against Missouri two weeks ago in Columbia, where the Cyclones outscored the Tigers 26-10 in the paint.

Another well-organized and efficient attack in the paint on Saturday led to Missouri’s demise once again, as Iowa State had a .542 field goal percentage on 35 shots from inside the three-point line.

“This just shows our progress from the start of the year,” said senior Alison Lacey, who added 17 points and eight assists. “Everyone says we’re just a three-point shooting team, but the posts are starting to prove those people wrong.”

Along with fellow freshmen Anna Prins and Amanda Zimmerman, the trio managed to score 14 of the team’s first 18 points in an 18-2 run that started the game. Iowa State converted on eight of their first nine field goal attempts in the contest.

In a sense, the hustle and efficiency displayed by the group of young Cyclone post players was an additional tribute to their pre-game honoree.

Welle is often regarded as the best player in Iowa State history, as she still holds the career records for points scored (2,149), rebounds (1,209), field goals made, field goal percentage, and free throws made.

She is the only player in program history to have reached the 2,000-point mark or the 1,000-rebound mark.

The native of Fargo, N.D., who was a member of four NCAA tournament teams, was immortalized as one of just four women’s basketball players to have their number retired.

The 11,212 on hand was the second largest crowd of the season, as long-time Cyclone fans came out in droves to honor Welle and the rest of the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen team, which was also recognized at halftime. 

“At the time that team was playing I didn’t even know Iowa existed or what Iowa State was,” Lacey said. “But now they step out on the court and I can name every single player. Coach Fennelly does a great job of making us remember the players who have been here before us, and that they’re the reason we get to play in front of 10,000 people.”