AMES – No. 12 Iowa State will be looking to get back into the win column and continue its unbeaten campaign at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday against Baylor. The Cyclones are coming off a 78-77 setback at Kansas State on Wednesday night, moving into a tie for third place with the Bears in the Big 12 standings.
Key Storylines
Iowa State was led by 18 points from Lexi Donarski. Over the Cyclones’ last three games, Donarski is averaging 14.3 points per game, and is shooting 42.4 percent from the field in that stretch.
Ashley Joens, the defending Big 12 Player of the Week, finished with 17 points at K-State on Wednesday night. Joens leads the Big 12 with 20.0 points per game and averages 9.3 rebounds per game, tallying nine double-doubles across the season.
On Monday, Joens was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, in addition to claiming her Big 12 Player of the Week distinction.
Nyamer Diew had one of her best games as a Cyclone at Kansas State, recording her first career double-double with a season-high-matching 14 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, an effort which included six offensive rebounds.
As a team, Iowa State went 13-of-13 from the free throw line, tied for the second-best free throw shooting effort as a team under head coach Bill Fennelly (14-14 vs. West Virginia, Feb. 24, 2021).
The Cyclones rank second nationally with a team free throw shooting percentage of 79.9 percent. The effort is led by Emily Ryan, who is 92.3 percent from the line to rank eighth nationally. Donarski is 92.9 percent, but does not meet the minimum free throws for the national rankings.
With a win on Saturday, head coach Bill Fennelly would become the 27th coach in NCAA Women’s Basketball history to reach 750 career wins, the 13th to get all 750 at Division I programs and would be one of nine active coaches at 750 victories.
Emily Ryan leads the Big 12 with 35.3 minutes played per game, posting eight ‘complete games’ this season and 22 for her career.
Who: No. 12 Iowa State (15-5, 7-3 Big 12) vs. Baylor (15-6, 7-3 Big 12)
Where: Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 – 5 p.m.
WATCH: ESPNU or ESPN+
PxP: John Brickley Analyst: Brooke Weisbrod
LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network – Varsity App or Radio Affiliates
PxP: Noah Wolf Analyst: Jamie Steyer Johnson
