AMES – No. 3 seed Iowa State faces 10th-seeded Creighton in a Greensboro Regional Sweet 16 matchup on Friday, at 8:30 p.m. Central on ESPN2. Iowa State has made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Sweet 16s in program history. The Cyclones’ appearance in the Sweet 16 is the program’s first since 2010.
The Matchup: No. 3 seed Iowa State (28-6, 14-4 Big 12) vs. Creighton (22-9, 15-5 Big East)
Where: Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, N.C.
When: Friday, March 25, 8:30 p.m.
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Varsity Radio App
Talent: Noah Wolf (PxP), Jamie Steyer (Analyst)
TV: ESPN2
Talent: Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Analyst)
Webcast: WatchESPN
Live Stats: NCAA.com
KEY STORYLINES
Iowa State is looking to make a trip to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2009 and third time in program history.
Iowa State earned its 28th win on the season on Sunday against Georgia, setting a new school record for wins in a season.
Iowa State defeated 14th-seeded UT Arlington (78-71) and sixth-seeded Georgia (67-44) in the NCAA First & Second Rounds to advance to the Sweet 16.
Ashley Joens became the fourth Cyclone in school history to be named to an AP All-America Team, joining Bridget Carleton (2018-19), Angie Welle (2000-01, 2001-02) and Stacy Frese (1999-00). Joens earned Second Team honors, after being named an HM All-American the last two seasons.
Joens also earned USBWA Second Team All-America honors.
Iowa State placed a league-high three on the All-Big 12 First Team with Ashley Joens earning a unanimous nod and Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan making their debuts on the First Team. Iowa State’s three All-Big 12 First Team selections set a program record, with ISU placing two on the First Team in 2012-13.
Lexi Donarski became the first Cyclone to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Donarski held her primary defensive assignment in league play to just 9.3 points and 30 percent shooting.
ISU has 349 treys on the season, setting a new single-season program record (303, 2018-19) and the most in Big 12 history (325, K-State 2012-13).
Along with the barrage of 3-pointers, Iowa State is one of the most efficient 3-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking second in the country with a 38.9 percent 3-point shooting percentage.
Ashley Joens ranks seventh in the Big 12 history with 2,355 points. She is 79 points away from passing Baylor’s Nina Davis (2,433) in sixth.
Against Georgia, Emily Ryan broke the single-season school record for assists. She now has 243 dimes on the year.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 3 seed Iowa State advanced to the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2010 with a wire-to-wire 67-44 victory over Georgia on Sunday.
The Cyclones scored the first 11 points of the contest, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 23-7 in the first period.
Lexi Donarski led Iowa State with 20 points, including four 3-pointers and 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.
Emily Ryan posted 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Her nine dimes saw her become ISU’s new single-season record holder for assists, now at 243 on the season.
Ashley Joens recorded her 18th double-double of the season, and fourth-consecutive, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Morgan Kane had her first game in double figures since Feb. 12 with 10 points, while also grabbing six rebounds.
