48 hours after first loss, Iowa State women's basketball team rebounds with win over SIUE
AMES – Just 48 hours after suffering its first loss of the season, the Iowa State women’s basketball team got a quick opportunity to get back on track.
The eighth-ranked Cyclones showed no lingering effects from their first setback of the season during a 93-43 win over SIUE at Hilton Coliseum Tuesday night.
Iowa State improved to 6-1. More important, the Cyclones were able to successfully rebound from their first defeat of what is expected to be a highly successful campaign.
"We're always excited to play," said Iowa State guard Lexi Donarski. "So, I think after the experience in Portland, we were really eager to get going and the sooner the next game came, the better."
The loss came Sunday night when Iowa State fell to No. 10 North Carolina in the championship game of the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore. The Cyclones saw a 17-point lead disappear against the Tar Heels.
Iowa State players didn’t have much time to dwell on the loss with the quick turnaround. The Cyclones didn’t get back to Ames until 5:45 a.m. Monday. When they had practice that afternoon, their attention was on an SIUE team that was winless in its first five games.
"They were really engaged," said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. "We talked a lot about what we need to do moving forward. I was probably more pleased yesterday than today."
Iowa State had no problem handling its next opponent. Donarski finished with a game-high 22 points, six assists and three rebounds. Emily Ryan added 13 points and seven assists.
Iowa State, which rolled through the first half of the North Carolina game before faltering in the second half, controlled all of Tuesday’s game. The Cyclones went on 16-2 run in the second quarter and outscored SIUE 29-8 in the frame. It helped the Cyclones build a 55-22 lead at halftime.
Ashley Joens finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Cyclones. Stephanie Soares added 11 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
"I'm proud of the way we approached it tonight," Fennelly said.
Ashley Joens added to her legacy
There isn't much left for Joens to accomplish from an individual standpoint. Joens became Iowa State’s all-time scoring leader last season, and Tuesday she became the fifth player in Big 12 history to reach 2,500 points. The Iowa City native needed just three points Tuesday to reach the mark and did it with a putback in the first quarter.
Iowa State now has a long wait
The Cyclones will get some much-needed time off following the quick turnaround. Iowa State’s next game will be among its biggest this season, a Dec. 7 showdown with No. 10 Iowa. The in-state rivalry has produced some epic games the last few seasons.
While the rankings could change by the time of the game, it has a chance to be a top-10 showdown, adding to the intrigue. Fennelly said the time off will give the Cyclones plenty of time to rest up and focus on some improvements they need to make before focusing on the Hawkeyes.
"I don't think it's a bad thing," Fennelly said of the timing.
Breakthrough game for Donarski
The biggest bright spot in Tuesday's win was the performance of Donarski, who matched a season-high with 22 points. Donarski shot 7-of-13 from the field and had her best game since tallying 22 points against Southern on Nov. 10.
Donarski scored in double figures just one other time in Iowa State's next four games and battled first-half foul trouble against North Carolina. But Tuesday, she was one of the most effective players on the court.
"I think of all the things, that was probably positive, that was No. 1," Fennelly said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball rebounds with dominant win over SIUE
