AMES – No. 8 Iowa State (6-1, 0-0 Big 12) topped SIUE (0-6, 0-0 OVC) on Tuesday night by a score of 93-43, the second game this season to hold an opponent to under 50 points.
Four Cyclones scored in double figures while Iowa State made its first 17 free throws on the night. ISU shot at 47.8 percent while holding SIUE to 26.2 percent on the night. The Cougars turned the ball over 18 times through the game, resulting in 23 Cyclone points.
Iowa State led SIUE 55-22 while three scored in double figures after the first half. Lexi Donarski led the half with 18 points while going 5-of-8 from the field. Donarski went on to tally a game-high 22 points.
Emily Ryan hit her first five shot attempts of the game and totaled 13 points on the night. She also totaled seven assists, with four coming from the first quarter. Ashley Joens tied the third-most career 3-point field goal mark in program history, notching her 276th. Joens had 11 points while making a perfect six free throws on six attempts. Stephanie Soares was the fourth player in double digits with 11 points. Soares shot 5-of-9 from the field and totaled 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season.
How it Happened
SIUE made its first field goal in the first 30 seconds of the game to tie things at 2-2, but was held scoreless for over three minutes as the Cyclones led 8-2. Iowa State capped the first period holding a double-digit lead of 12. Ryan and Donarski both put up seven points in the quarter alone.
The second quarter opened with Donarski nailing a 3-pointer to enter double figures. Donarski continued the dominance, forcing a steal on the next play while driving the ball up the court for a layup. ISU ended the half on a 17-3 run while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.
The Cyclones stretched their advantage to over 40 in the third while continuing to hold SIUE to under 30 percent shooting. Ryan forced ISU’s 10th steal of the game as Donarski again had a driving layup to end the quarter with the scoreboard at 78-32.
Iowa State ended the game with a season-high 31 bench points while securing the 50-point victory.
Top Performances
Lexi Donarski had her 12th career game and second this season with 20-plus points. Donarski achieved the game-leading total of 22 on 7-of-13 shooting.
Stephanie Soares had her fourth double-double through six games. In addition to double-figure points and rebounds, Soares added four blocks and three steals in 19 minutes of action.
Up Next
No. 8 Iowa State takes on the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series next. The matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes is slated to begin at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 next Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Iowa City.
