Iowa State took another road trip up to Minnesota on Wednesday to take on St. Thomas, as the Cyclones looked to bounce back following a poor showing in Las Vegas.
Highlighted by a new NCAA record set by the team, Iowa State clobbered St. Thomas as they crushed the Tommies by a score of 85-44.
With this win, it brings the Cyclones’ record back to .500, as they are now 3-3 on the season.
Here are the three big takeaways from Iowa State’s bounce-back win over St. Thomas.
Cyclones make NCAA history with a 3-pointer
Iowa State set a new NCAA record in their win versus St. Thomas, as it currently has a streak of 900 consecutive games with a made 3-point attempt.
This record was made with the first basket of the game, as guard Kelsey Joens was the one to get Iowa State on the board first with her 3-pointer.
This streak has spanned over the course of 30 seasons, which dates all the way back to Feb. 19, 1995, when the Cyclones played at Colorado.
Iowa State finished the game going 11-for-23 from 3-point range, setting a milestone for the program.
Jackson leads Iowa State’s defense to impressive performance
In their short time in Las Vegas, Iowa State struggled to hold opponents to under 65 points, as the Cyclones struggled to keep up with their opponents on both sides of the court.
But in their win versus the Tommies, Iowa State forced St. Thomas to commit 18 turnovers, with all facets of the game going right for the Cyclones.
Guard Arianna Jackson had the most impressive defensive performance of the night for Iowa State, as she led the team with four steals that helped seal a bounce-back win for the team.
It was hard enough for Iowa State to take on yet another road opponent after falling below expectations in its games in Las Vegas, but the Cyclones showed immense resolve and dominated the Tommies on their home court.
Breakout offense comes at the right time for Iowa State
The Cyclones had trouble staying out in front of their opponents in their two games played in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout last weekend, as both Vanderbilt and Syracuse pulled away in the end with Iowa State not being able to capitalize.
Iowa State had no trouble getting shots to fall in its road win versus St. Thomas, as the team shot a combined 53.3% from the field, which helped fuel its 41-point win.
Joens led the way for the team as she collected 17 points on six-of-eight shooting, and three-of-four came from beyond the 3-point arc.
Along with Joens’ performance, Iowa State had four players reach double digits in points while also having nearly everyone on the roster contribute to this game.
If the Cyclones can continue to have high-powered performances like this throughout the rest of the season, they will be a team to watch coming into Big 12 play.
