Cyclones Smother Nicholls 77-28

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State matched the school record for lowest opponent point total in rolling past Nicholls 77-28 in the first round of the Cyclone Classic in Ames Thursday night. It was the lowest offensive output ever by a foe in a Cyclone home game.

"Obviously, we weren't playing a team where we could match up offensively," ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. "We're playing solid defense and we've done it game in and game out. It was a team we probably should have beat soundly and we did."

Nicholls got on the board first, but ISU responded with a 10-2 run. The Cyclones missed their next four shots and a Nicholls 3-pointer tied the game at 12-12 with just over 12 minutes on the clock. ISU junior Lyndsey Medders answered with a layup and ISU never looked back after scoring 11 unanswered points, closing the half with a 29-3 run to earn a 41-15 lead.

ISU got 18 first-half points from senior Brittany Wilkins, including two 3-pointers, while Medders had 13 points at the break. The Cyclones shot 48.5 percent in the first stanza and controlled the boards 25-13. Nicholls hit 24 percent from the field and had 13 turnovers.

The Lady Colonels scored just 13 second-half points to match the lowest opponent score in Iowa State history. NSU shot 20.4 percent from the floor and tallied 23 turnovers. ISU finished the game with 42.6 percent accuracy, but just 18.2 percent from behind the arc and 55.6 percent shooting from the charity stripe.

Wilkins checked out of the game with 20 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes, while Medders posted 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 25 minutes of action. Freshman center Nicky Wieben had 11 points and four rebounds, while freshman forward Gillian Bjerke posted career highs of 12 points and seven rebounds.

"It was fun to get everyone in the game," Fennelly said. "Those kids work hard and the fans get to see them play."

Iowa State meets IPFW Friday at 8 p.m. in the championship game of the tournament. The Mastodons topped Appalachian State 74-64 in the Thursday's opening game. Nicholls and ASU meet in the consolation matchup at 5:30 p.m.

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Team Stats

Brittany Wilkins

Lyndsey Medders

Gillian Bjerke

Nicky Wieben

Players Mentioned

Gillian Bjerke

Lyndsey Medders

Lyndsey Medders

Nicky Wieben

Brittany Wilkins

Brittany Wilkins

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