After nearly a week off, the No.14 Iowa State women’s basketball squad was back in Hilton Coliseum to take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Monday. The Jackrabbits got the best of the Cyclones last season, winning 76-69 in Brookings, South Dakota. But not this time.

Emily Ryan was the catalyst that got Iowa State’s offense going in the first quarter, picking up five quick points and getting downhill runs at the basket. She started a 8-0 run in the middle of the quarter that put the Cyclones up 14-8, but a drought that lasted over three minutes allowed the Jackrabbits to go on a 9-0 run and ultimately end the quarter on top 17-15. Iowa State didn’t make a shot from the floor in the final 5:05 of the first.

Iowa State started the second quarter on a 7-2 run, but fell into another drought that lasted three minutes. Aubrey Joens ended the drought with two quick three-pointers, then Ryan got downhill for an and-one that put the Cyclones on a 9-0 run in only 41 seconds. That 9-0 run turned into a 14-2 run that spanned the final five minutes of the half and Iowa State went to the locker room with a 36-26 lead.

The third quarter started with five quick points by Ashley Joens that were followed by a 15-3 run that spanned over four minutes. SDSU was able to go on a bit of a run later in the third, but the Cyclones won the quarter 23-16 overall and went to the fourth with a 59-42 lead.

The Jackrabbits went on a 10-3 run to start the fourth, cutting their deficit to 10 and creating some pressure for Iowa State to put the game away. Ashley Joens responded with a three that got the crowd back into things, and a steal and coast-to-coast score by Ryan gave the team some momentum at the under-five media timeout. It was pretty straightforward from there, as the Cyclones coasted to a 75-56 win and moved to 2-0 on the season.

Lexi Donarski led the Cyclones offensively with 22 points, while Ashley Joens had 17 points and eight rebounds. Aubrey Joens had a near double-double off the bench with nine points and nine rebounds.

The Cyclones also shot much better than their first game against Omaha, shooting 42 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc.