AMES — Iowa State hosted Troy, who entered with a 1-6 record, on Sunday, as the Cyclones dominated the Trojans with a 105-68 win.

Highlighted by Emily Ryan’s return to the lineup, Iowa State took control of the game and never let Troy get a chance to pull ahead late.

Five Cyclones reached double-figures, with two of those five reaching at least 20 points in this offensive onslaught Sunday.

Emily Ryan makes a return to the lineup

Ryan made a surprise reappearance in the Cyclones’ win over the Trojans, as she had not been in a game this season due to a lower leg injury.

The senior had been a key contributor to Iowa State’s successes last season and was one of the few returning players.

In her first game back from injury, Ryan came off the bench and collected five points, four rebounds and two assists in her nine minutes played.

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly felt some emotions when subbing Ryan in for the first time this season, knowing what she had been through to try and get back on the court.

“Had a few tears for sure,” Fennelly said. “I think everyone loves what Emily Ryan is about as a person and as a player. The way she represents this university is truly spectacular.”

Center Audi Crooks led the team in scoring with 21 but noted how great of an addition it is to have Ryan back on their team, because it can take some pressure off of another veteran leader in Nyamer Diew.

“Both [Diew] and her are probably our most experienced players, but having [Ryan] back helps take some of the pressure off of [Diew],” Crooks said. “[Ryan] has also been more of a vocal leader which can help keep some of the calm in those key moments.”

It came as no surprise that Ryan would be put on a minutes restriction in her first game back from injury, but it showed a lot of promise to have another veteran presence on the court that could contribute to Iowa State’s success.

Diew’s strong first half helps Iowa State pull ahead early

Diew set a new season high in points scored, as she finished the game with 20 points which fueled the Cyclones’ 37-point win over Troy. Diew also set a new career high in 3-pointers, as she finished her game with six.

Diew led the team in scoring going into the first half with 14, as she seemed to find her groove from beyond the arc with 12 of her 14 coming from that range.

“I think it’s just the confidence that has rolled over from not playing for a week,” Diew said. “It was just continuing to have that consistency throughout the week that carried over to today.”

Along with Diew’s season-high, Iowa State had eclipsed 100 points for the first time this season, giving some hope for these types of scoring performances down the line.

While Diew’s role this season has been seen as more of a defensive one, having a 20-point performance surely could help the team going into conference play.

Turnover bug creeps up on the Cyclones despite win

While it may seem that Iowa State had a good day offensively that pushed them to another big win, one glaring issue stood out Sunday.

That issue was in the turnover game, as Iowa State turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in its win versus Troy.

While Fennelly realizes that his team made some mistakes, he still saw good looks at scoring and making those opportunities count.

“We obviously made some silly mistakes, but we still ended up getting some good looks at the basket,” Fennelly said.

It had seemed Iowa State had reduced the amount of turnovers made recently but was again an issue despite its big win.