In order to not lose its third road game in a row and to potentially improve its Big 12 seeding and NCAA tournament stock, the Iowa State Cyclones needed a win over the Kansas Jayhawks. 

From the jump, Iowa State shut down the Kansas offense, made three-pointers in bunches early and had an interesting performance from sophomore forward Ashley Joens.

Defensive shutdown

The Cyclones held the Jayhawks to just 42 points on Tuesday. 

40 points is the third-lowest point total that a Cyclone opponent has been held to, as the Cyclones held the Southern Jaguars to 36 points in the first game of the season and held the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lionettes to 40 points on Nov. 29. 

The Jayhawks could not buy a bucket against the Cyclones as they were held to 24.6 percent from the field. Three-point shooting was a nightmare for the Jayhawks as they made just 3-19 attempts from beyond the three-point line.

The Cyclones defense dominated from the get-go as they held the Jayhawks to just 11 points in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Cyclones led 21-11 because of efficient three-point shooting.

Iowa State shot just 30 percent from the floor, but got off to a great start to the game from beyond the arc.

Despite winning by 19 on the road, offense was tough to come by after the first quarter, which is especially true for Ashley Joens.

Joens dominates

Iowa State’s leading scorer every game is usually Joens, but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday, as junior guard Rae Johnson scored a team-high 18 points on 5-10 shooting from the field, 5-7 from the three-point line.

Joens, who averages 21 points per game, scored only 10 points on 3-13 shooting.

However, her greatest impact on Tuesday was on the glass. 

She grabbed 20 rebounds, which ties her career-high that she set against the Texas Southern Tigers on Nov. 19.

Joens grabbed 20 rebounds in part because the Cyclones were without junior center Kristin Scott who is out with a back injury. 

With her second 20 rebound performance of the season, she now has the two highest single rebounding games in program history. 

What’s next?

The Cyclones host the No.2 Baylor Lady Bears at noon on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.