Iowa State women’s basketball defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers in a big 85-68 win with a complete team performance Wednesday.

The Cyclones’ 11th conference win comes after their last loss against Oklahoma State, but the Cyclones were able to bounce back from that game to make a statement before the postseason.

The Cyclones were able to get the win due to the balanced scoring as five players were able to reach double-digits as well as a big performance from Kristin Scott on her Senior Night.

The team’s record now stands at 15-9 (11-6 Big 12) as they head into their final game of the regular season against Kansas on Wednesday. 

Seniors shine on Senior Night 

With her family in attendance, Scott had a big performance against West Virginia, as she was able to score from all over the floor. 

Scott finished with 18 points, scoring on the inside as well as outside of the perimeter, shooting 3-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Scott started off hot by having 9 points at the end of the first quarter and helping the Cyclones gain the momentum needed to build a big lead. 

Cyclones Head Coach Bill Fennelly mentioned the impact Scott and fellow seniors Madison Wise and Rae Johnson had against the Mountaineers. 

“I thought all three of the seniors were good, they did exactly what they’re supposed to do in their role in this team,” Fennelly said after the win Wednesday. “To have a big win like this on their Senior Night I think is special.”

Wise and Johnson also had big moments in the game. They both hit big 3-pointers to help the Cyclones rally past the Mountaineers.

Wise finished off Senior Night with 3 points on 1-5 shooting but grabbed five rebounds for the team. Johnson finished with 3 points along with two assists, respectively.

The seniors were big contributors against West Virginia. The team was able to build a lead as big as 22 points by the third quarter. 

All three seniors received standing ovations for their efforts, and they each played a role in the big win after having fallen to the Mountaineers the last time the two teams met. They were also honored post-game with their families and a socially distanced Cyclone crowd in attendance.  

Five Cyclones in double digits

In the Cyclones’ victory against the Mountaineers, the team had five players in double-digit scoring for the first time this season, which proved to be crucial.

The five players were Ashley Joens, Scott, Lexi Donarski, Emily Ryan and Kylie Feuerbach. 

Joens finished as the team’s top scorer with 20 points, followed by Scott and Donarski with 18, Ryan with 13 and Feuerbach with 10. 

Each player contributed in their own way as Joens was able to make her way to the free-throw line on multiple occasions, going 9-9 from the stripe. Scott’s 18 came from both the inside and outside of the paint.

Donarski was on fire from beyond the arc, going 4-8 on 3-point field goals, which was a big help for the Cyclones’ rally.

Ryan had a complete performance with only one assist shy of a double-double and felt the contributions from multiple players helped the teams balance, scoring-wise.

“It was huge to take a little bit of weight off of Joens’ shoulders, she’s had to battle every night, so it was nice to give her just as much help as we can provide her,” Ryan said. “I thought Scott hit some huge shots in that stretch in the third or fourth quarter when we were hitting a lot of 3s, which was huge and opened the game up a lot.”

Feurbach’s contributions were huge in the third quarter. She came off the bench to score 8 in the Cyclones’ run, which saw them go up big. 

Fennelly felt the scoring from multiple players was big in that the team was able to put up 85 points against a really good defensive team. 

“I think for this team, it becomes huge because we can space the floor,” Fennelly said. “I thought we made some great extra passes, go from a good shot to a great shot, and thats the nature of our team. I thought tonight we shared the ball, we made good decisions, limited our turnovers and checked every offensive box we could.”

The Cyclones will hope to carry this momentum into their next game against the Kansas Jayhawks in what will be their last game of the regular season Wednesday. 

The last time the two teams faced each other, the Cyclones came away with a 84-82 win after Joens was able to get a bucket in crunch time to secure the win.