Emily Durr went down hard in the third quarter against the South Dakota Coyotes.

She was grimacing in pain and holding her knee. She had to be helped off the court and into the locker room.

This meant the Iowa State women’s basketball team lost their senior leader in the season opener. The Cyclones also had to replace her production at point guard, as Durr scored 14 points in the 22 minutes she played, for the remaining quarter and half. Iowa State found an unlikely player to fill the void.

“If you were going to tell me before the game, that [Iowa State] was going to beat a good South Dakota team and Rae [Johnson] is going to play 33 minutes, I would have thought you are at the tip-top before the game,” said coach Bill Fennelly.

Once Durr got hurt, Fennelly told Johnson, who is a freshman, “you are it at point guard.”

Johnson is a big-time incoming freshman for Iowa State. She attended St. Michael-Albertville High School in Albertville, Minnesota, and was the top prospect coming out of Minnesota during the 2017 recruiting cycle. However, being thrown into her first collegiate game like she was, could have rattled her confidence a bit.

But, it didn’t.

Johnson handled the pressure of replacing Durr well. She didn’t shy away from the challenge.

Once the final buzzer rang, Johnson finished with 10 points on 2-of-7 shooting (two 3-pointers and four free throws). Plus, she added four assists and a steal to her name on the stat sheet during the game.

Some freshman don’t like to let the ball fly because they sometimes have the mentality of “I can’t miss a shot or I can’t screw up if I don’t shoot it.” But that’s not Johnson’s mentality — she is shooter.

In high school, Johnson set St. Michael-Albertville’s all-time scoring record with 1,730 career points. She also set the record for 3-pointers in a game, with eight. So, it’s clear, throughout Johnson’s entire basketball so far, she will be taking shots when she is open or feeling confident.

“When I’m open I shoot,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence in my shot. I’m not afraid.”

Here is Rae Johnson nailing this 3-pointer in transition! pic.twitter.com/SY762KrfWQ

— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) November 5, 2017

The shooter’s mentality Johnson possesses has been seen in almost every Iowa State practice this season.

“I don’t know if there has been one time, off the top of my head,” Fennelly said. “Of all the times we have practice where you would have said ‘Oh, she should of shot that.’ That’s what she does.”

While Johnson’s forte is shooting the three, it doesn’t mean she is a one-trick pony. Fennelly also noted Johnson’s defending skills are good for a freshman. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise to some because in high school Johnson averaged 2.9 steals during her senior season.

Although Johnson put up favorable statistics in her first collegiate game, she is still a freshman. Johnson has experienced some bumps along the road with her consistency through the Cyclones’ first five games this season.

Due to Durr getting hurt, Johnson started the second game of the year against Northern Iowa. And she was a non-factor against the purple and gold, as Johnson only tallied one point. She followed that contest with another lackluster performance against Missouri-Kansas City, with zero points.

After two dull performances, Johnson was a nice contributor in Iowa State’s game against the Tulane Green Wave. The young Cyclone guard only tallied three points, but she grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded a steal. Then she followed that game with a performance of two points, four assists and two rebounds against Central Michigan. But again, Johnson is only in her first year at Iowa State.

“She’s a freshman,” said Bridget Carleton. “She’s only going to get better.”

Despite the inconsistency, Johnson’s confidence has yet to be wavered. This year, she is averaging 3.2 points per game.

In basketball, a player has to be willing to put themselves out there. With a 24 second shot clock, players have to be willing to make plays and shoot the ball. They can’t stall or pass up a shot that is open. To Johnson’s credit, she is comfortable being the type of player who is willing to put themselves out there for the greater good of the team.

“That is what she does,” Fennelly said. “I think that is something that we want her to continue to do. And if she can do that and stretch the defense a little bit, she gives us another option.”

For fans in attendance during the next time the Iowa State women’s basketball team plays at Hilton Coliseum, don’t be surprised to hear the announcer say “Johnson for three” because she is going to shoot and continue to do so.