Women’s College Basketball: #23 Iowa State shuts down Texas Tech on Senior Day, 76-52

AMES – No. 23 Iowa State (19-9, 11-7 Big 12) solidified the season sweep over Texas Tech (18-13, 6-12 Big 12) with the 76-52 victory Saturday afternoon. Iowa State extended its win streak to six games in the all-time series.

Iowa State was led by double-double performances by Ashley Joens and Emily Ryan. Joens led with 22 points including a perfect performance from the free throw line with seven made. Joens also had 10 rebounds, three steals and a block. Ryan notched her double-double with 12 points (4-of-6 shooting) and matched her career high with 11 rebounds.

The Cyclones held the Red Raiders to 29.8 percent from the field making for the sixth opponent Iowa State has held to under 30 percent this season. ISU also totaled its eighth conference game this season with at least 10 3-pointers with 10 made.

How it Happened
Iowa State got on the board first, but TTU took a 9-0 run to lead 9-2 early. Ryan halted the run with a triple to bring it back within four halfway through the opening quarter. Joens then connected on the next 3-pointer to near the lead at 11-8 as Joens kept the run going to take the lead 12-11. At the end of the first, ISU led 16-13.

Iowa State began to stretch its advantage out to 11 (27-16) in the second on a run that included four-straight points from Izzi Zingaro. At the 2:54 mark, the Cyclones began a stretch of remaining perfect beyond the arc with treys from Denae Fritz, Lexi Donarski and Joens. At the end of the half, ISU took a lead of 19 at 43-24.

The second half opened with Fritz notching her third 3-pointer and Joens recording a three-point play to go up 49-24. Iowa State continued to roll as four held nine or more points and the scoreboard read 55-30 midway through the third. The Cyclones continued to add to their 3-pointer total as Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw and Ryan hit two-straight to go up 61-32. Iowa State outscored Texas Tech 20-10 in the quarter for a score of 63-34 entering the final frame.

ISU pressed on to solidify the 24-point victory with a final score of 76-52.

Top Performances
Ashley Joens led all scorers with 22 points for her 16th 20-plus point game of the season while totaling 73 on her career. Joens added 10 rebounds for her 13th season double-double and 62nd of her career.

Emily Ryan had her fifth double-double of the season and 11th of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan tied her career-high mark of rebounds while adding five assists and three steals to her stat line.

Up Next
With regular season wrapped up, Iowa State takes on the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship next week. The bracket will be released at the conclusion of games today.