Despite a sluggish start, the ISU women’s basketball team opened the exhibition season Sunday by trouncing Buena Vista University 74-37.

The Cyclones overcame a dismal 19 percent shooting percentage at the midway mark of the first half, and took a 40-9 halftime lead.

Buena Vista proved to be no match for the Cyclones, managing to score only one basket from the field in the first half. The Beavers finally got going offensively in the second half, but Iowa State kept Buena Vista at bay, taking advantage of 31 Beaver turnovers.

“We tried to tell our players all morning, at shoot-around, that this is an exhibition game,” coach Bill Fennelly said after the game. “The stats don’t matter, but every time you put that uniform on you better be ready to play.”

Senior guard Heather Ezell led the team in scoring, with 12, as well as steals, with six. Ezell seemed to have made no distinction between the exhibition and regular season as she dove for loose balls, at one point even smashing into the scorer’s table.

“Heather was energetic, as always,” Fennelly said. “She makes the hustle plays everyone notices.”

Throughout the game, the Cyclones subbed in regular intervals, with subs entering the game in groups of four or five.

“We subbed every four minutes. They knew when they were going in,” Fennelly said. “It changes the flow of the game, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t compete.”

Iowa State will have one final chance to tune things up during this weekend’s exhibition game against Missouri Western State.

Lacey sees limited playing time

Troubled by a nagging hip injury for most of the fall, junior guard Alison Lacey played for only nine minutes of Sunday’s game.

Lacey, Iowa State’s leading scorer last season, said the knee feels great but she and Fennelly decided to be cautious.

“We decided it would be best if I didn’t play much just to rest the hip,” Lacey said.

In the past couple of weeks in practice, Lacey has been limited because of the hip, but she expects to be fully ready to go for practice this week.

“[The hip] should be fine. It took a long time to heal, but I’m working with the trainers to get strength back into it.”

Freshmen guard duo make its Cyclone debut

Pegged as an area of concern by Fennelly before the season, the Cyclones rotated between two freshmen at point guard, Whitney Williams and Alexis Yackley, both of whom are expected to share time this season.

After overcoming a bit of first game jitters, Williams and Yackley eventually settled into the offense. Williams finished the game with three points and a game-high five assists, while Yackley scored once and added three assists.

Yackley, who started the game, acknowledged she was slightly nervous during the game.

“There were kind of times when the game gets ahold of you and you get nervous and excited at once,” Yackley said.

Fennelly said after the game that he thought the duo played like he expected.

“What we’re asking them to do is manage the game, learn what we’re doing,” Fennelly said. “I thought they did OK. Obviously it has to get better as the competition gets better.”

With Lacey almost at full strength, expect the Cyclones to continue mixing playing time at the point among Yackley, Williams, Lacey and Ezell.

To wear or not wear?

Senior Nicky Wieben, who made her first start since tearing her left ACL on Jan. 16, wore a brace over her recovering knee during Sunday’s game.

Although she said the knee feels fine, Wieben slipped the brace on right before the game.

“I kind of decided at the last second to wear it,” Wieben said. “I think it’s more of a mental thing and being able to play without.”

Fennelly was surprised to see the brace make an appearance.

“The last three days of practice I didn’t even see the brace,” Fennelly said. “I’m asking everybody before the game why she was wearing the brace.”

The brace didn’t appear to hinder her play, as Wieben finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Wieben said she plans on wearing the brace during the first couple regular season games, but said she hopes to eventually stop using it.