Cyclones fall 83-66 to No. 1 ranked South Carolina
Iowa State junior Ashley Joens attacks the basket against South Carolina on Dec. 6 at Hilton Coliseum. Joens led the team in scoring with 32 points.
December 6, 2020
Iowa State fell to No. 1 ranked South Carolina 83-65 on Sunday, still in search of its first win against a top ranked team.
It was a slow start for the Cyclones as South Carolina scored the game’s first 10 points and took control as the Cyclones couldn’t mount a comeback.
It was a poor shooting night from beyond the arc for the Cyclones as they shot nine percent in the first half going 1-11. The amount of missed opportunities added up for Iowa State as South Carolina took advantage, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field in the first half, including 43 percent from three.
Despite a 16 point first half from junior forward Ashley Joens and seven points from freshman guard Lexi Donarski, Iowa State couldn’t bring the game within reach before the half. It had an opportunity to tie up the game in the second quarter as it brought the game within three but the Cyclones went on to miss 12 straight shots.
The South Carolina Gamecocks went into the half with a 14 point lead over the Cyclones as they headed into the break up 44-30.
The start of the second half looked promising as the Cyclones got off to an 8-0 run and brought the game within 10. Despite the strong start, South Carolina responded by knocking down three pointer after three pointer and re-established their lead of 16 points.
By the end of the third quarter the Gamecocks were up 22 as the Cyclones didn’t have an answer for their three point game.
The fourth quarter saw more of the same dominance from South Carolina. It continued to shoot efficiently from three going 52 percent for the game and while the Cyclones continued to get some easy buckets inside, it wasn’t enough as they fell 83-66.
The Cyclones record now falls to 2-2 (1-0 Big 12) as Joens and Donarski finish as Iowa State’s leading scorers on the game with 32 for Joens and 13 for Donarski.
This loss sets up the Cyclones for their next game against the University of Iowa in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. That game will be available to watch on BTN+ with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
