With a comfortable win over Southern, the Iowa State women’s basketball team has started the season with a 4-0 record. Coming off of a 3-0 week, the Cyclones have a lot to look back on, as they have begun to hit their stride this season.

The Gulf Coast Showcase is on the horizon for the Cyclones, and the team will rely on the strong offensive play that they have gotten over the last two games in order to come away from the event with a perfect record.

Scoring barrages

Shooting struggles were a legitimate issue for the Cyclones to open the season, but after the team’s performances in the last two games, the woes have seemingly disappeared.

On Thursday night, Iowa State racked up 98 points against Drake, shooting at an elite rate. The Cyclones finished the night with a 47.8 shooting percentage to go along with a 41.7 percentage from beyond the arc.

Iowa State repeated this high-scoring performance on Sunday, managing to put up another 96 points versus Southern. The team shot 48.2 percent from the field, with an outstanding 47.1 percent from three point range.

If Iowa State is shooting like it has over the last pair of games, it will be an extremely tough team to guard as the season progresses.

Meet the Joens’

Ashley and Aubrey Joens have been two of the biggest pieces of the Iowa State women’s basketball team for some time now, with the last two games putting that on full display. The two have been Iowa State’s top two leading scorers in each of the last two games.

Ashley recorded 31 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Drake, and 16 points in a win over Southern. Aubrey put up 18 against Drake along with a team-high 21 when matched up with Southern.

Head coach Bill Fennelly has had high praise for the mentality of both of the Joens sisters, believing that they will both be key pieces to a big season for the Cyclones.

Ryan’s career day

Sophomore guard Emily Ryan scored nine points, 13 assists and six rebounds on Sunday against Southern. The 13 assists tied her for sixth most in a single game in Iowa State history.

Ryan had already gotten herself in the record books this season, tying the school record with nine steals in the season opener versus Omaha.

Ryan’s shooting numbers are down so far this season, shooting just 13.3 percent from three, but she has been excellent in all other parts of the game. Her ability as a defender and distributor has allowed her to become an extremely valuable player.

Next up for the Cyclones is the Gulf Coast Showcase starting at 5 p.m. on Friday at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla.