Three Big Takeaways: Cyclones’ offense goes quiet, Joens makes history in loss to Texas

Ashley+Joens+%28No.+24%29+and+Aubery+Joens+%28No.+20%29+play+against+No.+12+Iowa+on+Dec.+8.

Collin Maguire/Iowa State Daily

Ashley Joens (No. 24) and Aubery Joens (No. 20) play against No. 12 Iowa on Dec. 8.

Andrew Harrington

Iowa State women’s basketball player Ashley Joens broke Iowa State’s all-time scoring record on Wednesday, but Texas put on a defensive showcase to earn the win over No. 6 Iowa State.

Holding Iowa State to less than 50 points for the second time this season, the Longhorns were able lock down the Cyclones, winning the game 73-48.

The loss pushed Iowa State’s record to 21-4, 10-3 in Big 12 play, and snapped the team’s five-game winning streak.

Making History

Joens had her moment in the spotlight on Wednesday, scoring 18 points to become Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,156 career points. Joens passed the mark previously set by Angie Welle at 2,149.

In what was otherwise a disappointing game for the Cyclones, Joens broke the milestone to solidify herself as one of the Iowa State greats.

Joens has averaged 18.6 points per game over her career, including averages of 24.2 and 20.5 over the two previous seasons. This year, Joens has developed as a passer, but still averages 19.9 points per game.

The milestone provided the lone bright spot for the Cyclones on Wednesday.

Offensive Anomaly

The Cyclone offense that has looked strong for the majority of the season did not perform to what they have established as their standard.

Iowa State shot just 40.5 percent from the field and only made four three pointers. Averaging over ten three-pointers made per game coming into the game, the Cyclones will not win many games with just four makes.

Iowa State scored just 26 first half points, the lowest the team has scored in a first half since a Jan. 11 win over Kansas State.

Iowa State shot 9-24 over the first two quarters, using defense to stay in the game. On top of the poor percentage, the Longhorns shot 13 more shots than the Cyclones.

Things did not get any better for Iowa State in the third quarter, only mustering up nine points on eight shot attempts.

Through all of the shooting struggles, the biggest issue in the offense was arguably the turnovers. The Cyclones turned the ball over 19 times, including eight turnovers from point guard Emily Ryan.

Ryan and Joens were the only two Cyclones to finish the game in double figures in terms of scoring. In fact, after the 11 points from Ryan, no one scored more than six points.

Cyclone star Lexi Donarski was held scoreless during the game, missing all six of her shots over 31 minutes.

Bring out the Brooms

One of the biggest points of emphasis from Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly ahead of the game was finding places to get sweeps in Big 12 play and avoiding being swept.

The Cyclones were not only unable to avoid a season sweep from Texas but were beat by a combined 43 points during the two meetings this season. Iowa State now has a five-game losing streak when facing the Longhorns.

One of the reasons for the success of the Longhorns against Iowa State this season has been their ability to close off passing lanes. Ryan has turned the ball over 15 times in the two meetings between the team and had just six assists.

The road to a Big 12 Tournament win may run through Texas, so the Cyclones will need to figure out their issues against the Longhorns.

The next matchup for Iowa State will come against No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday in Hilton Coliseum.