Cyclone Defense Stifles Hawkeyes, 58-44

Wednesday, December 5

Ames, Iowa

7:00 PM

Iowa State

5-1

Iowa (Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series)

5-3

IOWA

Iowa State

Cyclone Defense Stifles Hawkeyes, 58-44

12.05.2007 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa- The Iowa State defense has been a consistent force all season, but it took its intensity to a new level Wednesday night, holding Iowa to 29.3 percent shooting and forcing 17 turnovers as the Cyclones earned a 58-44 win over the Hawkeyes in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series at Hilton Coliseum.

With the win, Iowa State improves to 5-1 on the season, while Iowa dropped to 5-3. The Cyclones earned two more points in the Cy-Hawk series to give ISU a 12-3 advantage going into a busy weekend for both teams. Iowa and Iowa State face off in swimming and diving, men's basketball and wrestling this weekend.

Senior Toccara Ross had her best game of the early season in her final contest against the Hawkeyes, earning a double-double (the fifth of her career) with 15 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Sophomore Alison Lacey led the Cyclones with 17 points and four assists, and just one turnover. Heather Ezell also finished in double digits with 10 points.

“You never want to single out players, because it is ultimately a team game, but it's hard not to single out Toccara Ross,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “She deserves it. She is an Iowa kid, who grew up in Davenport as an Iowa Hawkeye fan, so this is a game she'll remember for a long time. She was ready to go tonight. It is the Toccara Ross who played last year, with lots of energy. It is the last time she will get to play against Iowa, and hopefully she will remember it.”

The Cyclones shot just 32.4 percent for the game and hit only two three-pointers after entering the game averaging 9.6 treys per game. But the Cyclones committed only five turnovers and outrebounded the Hawkeyes, 46-44. ISU also hit 10-for-13 free throws, while UI was 5-of-6 from the line.

“It was one of those games, where we had trouble scoring, and when you have trouble scoring, you have to find other ways to win,” Fennelly said. “The first half might have been the best half of defense I have had at Iowa State. When we weren't making shots, nobody panicked. We just kept guarding, and made enough offensive plays in the second half to survive.”

It took a little while to get either team going, as both squads started out 1-for-5 from the field as the game was stuck at a 2-2 tied for more than two minutes before Ezell hit a three pointer. Iowa answered with a field goal before the Cyclones reeled off a 7-0 run to take a 12-4 advantage with 13:04 to play.

Iowa State's defense continued to stifle the Hawkeyes, holding UI to 14.3 percent shooting over the first 14 minutes while jumping out to a 22-6 lead, with six Cyclones already in the scoring column. Iowa went to its 6-6 center, Megan Skouby, on back-to-back plays, getting a bucket and a pair of free throws, to cut the lead to 12, 22-10.

After Wendy Ausdemore hit the Hawkeyes' first three of the game to make it 24-13, Ross put in two of her eight first-half points and Lacey scored with 47 seconds to go to send the Cyclones to the locker room with a 28-13 advantage. Iowa State held Iowa to 17.2 percent shooting in the opening period and 11.1 percent from beyond the arc.

The two teams traded baskets to start the second half, but Ausdemore hit a pair of three-pointers as the Hawkeyes cut the lead to 11, 32-21. Iowa proceeded to dice the ISU lead to single digits, 36-28, on a three by Kristi Smith, but Ross scored for the Cyclones to make it 38-28 with 11:39 to go in the game. And then both teams went cold, missing their next 10 shots combined before Jocelyn Anderson hit a field goal in the paint to extend the ISU advantage to 12.

Ross took control of the game for the Cyclones from there, scoring five straight, including a conventional three-point play and a running layup as she beat the Hawkeye defense down the court with an easy feed from Lacey, to make it 45-28.

Iowa was never able to get the lead back to single digits, but got as close as 11, 53-42, with 1:28 on a Smith free throw, but the Cyclones hit free throws and Kelsey Bolte finished off the scoring on a basket in the paint with 18 seconds to go to give ISU the winning margin.

Iowa State will continue its series of instate rivalry games Sunday when the Cyclones face Drake at the Knapp Center at 2 p.m. in Des Moines.