AMES – No. 20 Iowa State dominated from the jump in a 92-35 wire-to-wire victory over USC Upstate at home Tuesday night.
Iowa State improved to 7-2 with the win and is yet to lose in Hilton Coliseum this season. 92 points is the second-highest total the Cyclones have reached this year.
Sophomore center Audi Crooks led the way with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Sophomore forward Addy Brown added 14 points of her own, while sophomore guard Kelsey Joens scored a season-high 11 points.
The first half was a strong showing for the Cyclones, as they took a 48-13 lead at the break. Iowa State forced plenty of turnovers without fouling, and shot nearly 42% from the field in the half.
The second half went about as expected after watching the first half. The Cyclones shot 45.5% from the field, and they kept their foot on the gas up until the final whistle. Brown had a strong second half with 10 points while shooting 4-for-4 after a 2-for-8 shooting performance in the first half.
Starting each half strong
The Cyclones wasted no time building an early lead against the Spartans, getting ahead 25-3, featuring an 18-0 run. Iowa State continued its strong shooting quarter by ending it 32-11.
In just over five minutes played in the first quarter, eight Cyclones had scored, and by the end of the period, 10 different Iowa State players had knocked down a field goal. The second quarter was a little different for the Cyclones, as they scored 16 points.
The second half was very similar to the first, with Iowa State shooting 55% in the third quarter and scoring 33 points, compared to 30% shooting and 11 points in the fourth.
“I thought the first and third quarter we, offensively, we were as good as we could be,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “The second and fourth quarter, we were probably as bad as we could be.”
In that third quarter, junior guard Lily Hansford knocked down a three, her first bucket of the season. It is hard to get out of a slump like that, but Hansford kept on shooting and finally saw one go in, and that was a good way to explain the impressive offensive night in those quarters.
The start to the year has not been easy for Hansford, but Fennelly talked about her history and how things could quickly start to go her way. At Oregon State a year ago, Hansford shot 45% from beyond the arc with 48 makes.
“Everyone knows how hard she works; everyone knows her history; everyone knows that’s one of the things she does really well,” Fennelly said. “She, you know, historically can really shoot it.”
Cyclones’ suffocating defense turns to offense
An emphasis has been on limiting turnovers and playing consistent, solid defense for the Cyclones. The game against the Spartans was a good way to show it.
Iowa State caused 30 turnovers for USC Upstate while only turning it over six times itself. 19 of those turnovers were off of steals for the Cyclones, with fifth-year senior guard Emily Ryan leading the way with seven. Joens added two steals herself.
“Obviously, [Joens] is continuing to improve as a defensive player, which we talk about, ball handling, all the things that all of them have to work on,” Fennelly said. “The energy she brings and the ability to impact the play that maybe some of our other guys don’t do is positive.”
Fennelly made a big emphasis on that low turnover rate for the Cyclones and how that is a key heading into upcoming games and into conference play.
“I don’t care who you play. If you only turn the ball over six times, that’s pretty good,” Fennelly said. “I mean, we’ve turned the ball over six times five-on-zero in practice.”
The strong defense and ball control then turned into offense for Iowa State, as it had 28 points off turnovers as they continuously made transition buckets.
“We talk about taking care of the ball, like finding the right person that’s open, not forcing things,” Joens said. “I think we really did that well tonight, and we found the open player really well.”
The Cyclones also dominated the assist department, which is evidence of making the extra pass when necessary. The Cyclones had 22 compared to only four from the Spartans.
“I think it’s just a testament to everyone that was making the passes,” freshman guard Aili Tanke said. “They were making the right reads and trusted us to get the ball.”
Multiple players fill the stat sheet
Outside of Crooks posting a double-double, Joens had her first double-digit scoring night of the season, along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ryan had six points, five rebounds, four assists and seven steals.
Just about every Cyclone was contributing in some way or another, no matter the amount of time they got on the floor. Joens made good use of her 15 minutes on the floor while she had her best game of the season.
Tanke, who knocked down four 3-pointers to hit 12 points, was another key contributor to this all-around victory for Iowa State.
“It’s hard to get everyone in there, but they’re all getting the same reps and practice,” Fennelly said. “Tonight, I thought for sure, [Joens] and Tanke were the two that, in the 12-17 minute range, took the advantage that we were hoping for.”
There was one play in the first quarter where Joens hustled for a defensive rebound, and an impressive display of ball movement ended up with her knocking down a 3-pointer. In a scenario where she is not too sure how many minutes she will get on any given night, those plays make it hard to keep her on the bench.
“Every day in practice, [Fennelly] talks about how there’s opportunities,” Joens said. “So just going out there, showing what you’re capable of doing, just doing the little things and just trying to make the team better overall.”
Iowa State is back home at 12 p.m. Sunday against Central Michigan. The event will be streamed live on ESPN+.
