After a heartbreaking loss to rival Iowa on Wednesday, Iowa State bounced back on Sunday with a dominant 87-35 home win over North Dakota.

From the get-go, it was clear North Dakota was out-matched by Iowa State’s size and talent. The Cyclones never trailed at any point in the game, and held a 17-point lead after just the first quarter.

Somehow, though, the second quarter was even worse for the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota scored four points in a full 10-minute quarter to go into the half trailing 52-13, a 39-point deficit. Eight of those 13 total points came from one player, sophomore forward Julia Fleecs.

Perhaps most emblematic of how bad North Dakota was in the first half was that Iowa State guard Bridget Carleton scored more points (17) than North Dakota did as an entire team. North Dakota also had 15 turnovers in the half, compared to Iowa State’s four.

For most of the second half, Iowa State emptied its bench while staying in total control. Nearly every active player, save for freshman Lauren Mills, played at least 10 minutes or more.

The only thing of real note that took place in the second half happened with only three seconds left in the game, when senior forward Ines Nezerwa took a hard fall and remained on the floor for a few minutes. Nezerwa eventually walked off the court on her own power.

By the end of the game, four Cyclones’ finished in double figures for points. Carleton led the way with 18, to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high seven steals. Freshman guard Ashley Joens also had a solid game with 11 points and six rebounds, bouncing back from a rough outing against Iowa on Wednesday.

Nezerwa finished with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Kristin Scott added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds — also coming off the bench. 

Next up for Iowa State will be a matchup with in-state opponent Drake University. Tip-off will be at noon from Hilton Coliseum.