WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Senior guard Heather Ezell becomes 19th Cyclone to reach 1,000 career points
Iowa State’s guard Heather Ezell drives the ball during the game playing against Drake University on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, at the Hilton Coliseum. With her 9-point contribution to the 65-52 Cyclones victory over the Bulldogs, Ezell surpassed 1,000 career points. Photo: Shing Kai Chan/Iowa State Daily
December 11, 2008
With her nine points on Thursday night, ISU senior Heather Ezell became the 19th player in school history to score more than 1,000 points in a career.
And to no surprise, the shot came from behind the arc. Ezell, the Cyclones’ three-point specialist, came into the game with 996 career points, and promptly hit her first two shots of the game, both three-pointers. Ezell has continually been a weapon for the Cyclones for several seasons, and has been an extremely versatile and reliable player for coach Bill Fennelly.
“We’ve asked Heather to do a lot of things here,” Fennelly said. “But now she gets to put her name in the media guide alongside a lot of really, really good players.”
Those two long-range shots, plus one more in the second half, also helped Ezell jump over Lindsey Wilson into fourth place all-time for three-point field goals made. Ezell has now made 216 three-pointers in just more than three years at Iowa State.
Halfway to 100 from the bench
After a sluggish performance against Iowa last weekend, starters Nicky Wieben, Amanda Nisleit and Kelsey Bolte were relegated to the bench at the start of Thursday night’s match against Drake. The three responded in a big way for the Cyclones, combining for 44 of the team’s 50 total bench points in the game.
The biggest performance was from Wieben, who scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in an all-around improved effort from the previous couple of weeks.
“For the first time since the Creighton game, I think Nicky really wanted the ball,” Fennelly said. “She almost demanded the ball, which is what you want from a post player. I thought she defended better, and was much more engaged in every facet of the game than in any other game she’s had up to this point.”
Combined with a 6-for-6 shooting effort from Nisleit, the two seniors went a combined 14-for-17 from the field and teamed up for a total of 37 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. It was a season high in points for Nisleit.
“We had two seniors act and play like seniors at Iowa State are supposed to,” Fennelly said. “And I’m really happy for Amanda. She is someone who gets no credit for anything she’s done. She is a shining example of what Iowa State basketball is supposed to be about.”
