AMES, Iowa – Bill Fennelly said Monday that he liked how his team was defending. Drake got a first-hand demonstration Tuesday as Iowa State routed the Bulldogs, 87-45 in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones held Drake to just 13 first half points on 16.1 percent shooting (5-31), as they headed into the locker room with a 51-13 lead at halftime.
Iowa State held an 8-7 lead with less than three minutes gone. The score was 21-10 when Drake’s Carly Grenfell hit a three-point shot with 12:04 left in the half. The Bulldogs would not make another field goal until 24 seconds were left in the first half. By then, the rout was on.
Hallie Christofferson led Iowa State with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Anna Prins and Kidd Blaskowsky each had 17 (career high for Blaskowsky) for the Cyclones. Point guard Nikki Moody had 15 points and 10 assists in 24 minutes of action. Cara Lutes led Drake with 19 points.
The win was Iowa State’s eighth in nine games against the Bulldogs. The Cyclone winning margin of 42 points was bettered only by the 95-29 win (66) by Iowa State in the first game ever played between the schools on Jan. 15, 1975. Fennelly cleared the bench as all but one Cyclone played at least 11 minutes and none played more than 29 minutes.
The win lifted Iowa State to a 5-0 start (0-0 Big 12). Drake falls to 1-4 (0-0 MVC). The Cyclones get ready for final exams but will return to the court for a Dec. 6 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series date at Hawkeye-Carver Arena in an intrastate battle that will start at 7:30 p.m.
