There was plenty of rust, but Iowa State took care of business.

After a closer-than-expected first half, the Cyclones dominated the second half of their exhibition against division two Southwest Baptist University to come away with a 90-51 victory in the team’s first game action of the season. In final two quarters, Iowa State outscored the Bearcats 49-16 after leading by only six at the half.

With that kind of stat, it’s fair to say things definitely weren’t perfect. Not by a long shot, in fact. The Cyclones struggled at times from the free throw line and from beyond-the-arc, and of course there was the occasional sloppy turnover.

But the team ultimately did what it was supposed to: dominate lesser competition and shake off the rust before the real action starts.

“I wasn’t overly surprised with how we started,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “Overall, I think it was just us trying to find a way to get through that initial nervousness.”

Fennelly went on to add that frequent subbing, which was a point of emphasis for the team given the game’s exhibition status, likely led to the team’s slow start.

“A lot of the early struggles were my fault because we were subbing a lot, trying to get some of their attention about the details we were missing,” Fennelly said. “The most important thing we wanted to do tonight is not over extend anyone.”

Overall, the team did a good job of that. No player for the Cyclones played more than 22 minutes, including star forward Bridget Carleton, who shot 63 percent from the field en route to a team high 17 points.

The focus on subbing also allowed for the staff to see what it has in its younger players and newcomers. One player who particularly stood out coming off the bench was sophomore forward Kristin Scott, who shot 75 percent from the field and notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

In a welcome sign for the Cyclones, Scott also shot two-for-three from beyond the arc on the night. Scott came to Iowa State as post player who could stretch the floor, but struggled mightily at times from beyond the arc in her debut season, finishing with only a 15 percent three point percentage.

Shooting was a primary point of emphasis then for Scott heading into the offseason

“It’s something that I focused on a lot in practice,” Scott said. “A big thing for me is just confidence, knowing that my teammates and coaches believe in me. If you know what you can do, then you can prove it to the fans and coaches and teammates, and they’ll eventually believe in you.”

Outside of Scott, transfer Ines Nezerwa added 14 points off the bench for starter Meredith Burkhall, albeit on only 4-for-13 shooting. Other notable performances came from returning sophomore starter Madison Wise, who scored 12 on five-of-seven shooting, and highly anticipated freshman Ashley Joens, who struggled in her Cyclone debut by shooting one-for-five from the field.

While it may be tempting to look into these stats as a sign of things to come, it is important to note once again that this is only the first time the Cyclones have taken the floor all year. And the stats came in a game that didn’t count, against a Division II opponent that was clearly outmatched talent-wise (which is to be expected).

More than anything, this game was about shaking off the jitters, according to the team. While it obviously would be concerning if the team had come out and laid an egg, it’s still far too early to take anything of significance away from this game.

That’s how the Cyclones see it as well. Lineups will change significantly in the days and weeks to come, and this game, as well as the early season as a whole, is more about the team getting used to each other and building chemistry than anything else.

“Obviously there’s going to be an adjustment period,” Bridget Carleton said. “Throughout practice there has been that, and we’re getting there. We have a lot of new players that are playing significant roles this year.

“We’re getting used to playing with each other. It’ll get better, and it’s been fun playing with all them, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”