In the game of women’s college basketball, being tall certainly has its advantages.

And for 6-foot-5-inch Bryanna Fernstrom, her height came in handy against Howard on Monday.

Fernstrom scored 18 points in nearly 20 minutes in the opening game of the Cyclone Challenge, leading the Cyclones to a 90-44 victory over Howard. The freshman even came up with four blocks on the night.

Her success, in part, came from her big height advantage, she noted.

“I was four inches taller than all of them, at least,” Fernstrom said.

She wasn’t exaggerating. With the exception of one Bison player, Fernstrom was at least four inches taller than any defender on the court, giving her a more than helpful advantage.

However, things didn’t start out the way ISU coach Bill Fennelly had planned. The Cyclones started out the game shooting 0-of-6 from the three-point line, as well as shooting less than 20 percent from the field.

“In the first half, I feel like we just weren’t making the shots that a lot of us make,” Fernstrom said. “We turned the ball over a lot and just made stupid plays we shouldn’t be making.”

After the opening stretch, however, they saw a big change.

“The first 14 minutes when it was 26-22, we played like we’ve been practicing since we’ve came back from the holidays,” Fennelly said. “But after that, the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half we were really good. We shot the ball great and when you shoot the ball that well, you’re pretty hard to beat.”

The start of the second half proved to be one of, if not the best, runs the Cyclones have had all year. They went on a 32-2 run, holding Howard scoreless for nearly 13 minutes in the second half. They also finished the game shooting just over 50 percent from the field and made 15 three pointers.

“I think during the second half we just came out with more effort,” said ISU guard Seanna Johnson. “I think we were finding each other more. For us, we just found the open players who were on in the second half.”

Following the win, the Cyclones will take on UC Riverside, who defeated Brown 70-59 in the opening round of the tournament, in the championships of the Cyclone Challenge on Dec. 30. The championship game is one that Fennelly expects will be a tougher challenge, but one that he is looking forward to.

“We’re glad that one is done and we’re looking forward to a good challenge tomorrow,” Fennelly said. “It’s been a great event and it’s been fun to bring these teams to our community. Our fans have been great and hopefully we can end this thing the right way tomorrow.”