Lacey Hits Nine Treys as Cyclones Prevail, 67-43

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Sophomore Alison Lacey got into Iowa State's three-point action, knocking down nine treys, as the Cyclones defeated Michigan 67-43, Friday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament.

After Heather Ezell knocked down 10 treys in the Cyclones' win over Sacramento State last week, Lacey fell one short of her teammates' performance, going 9-of-13 from long range, finishing one three shy of tying the school and Big 12 record for the second consecutive week by a Cyclone.

The Cyclones (3-0) need just one more win to reach the 500th victory in Iowa State women's basketball history. Iowa State will try to earn that win in the championship game of the tournament against host and 19th-ranked Vanderbilt Sunday at 2 p.m. The Commodores defeated Belmont in the first round 104-43.

Lacey finished with a career-high 35 points, while junior Nicky Wieben had 12 points, finishing in double digits for the 37th time in her career and the fifth consecutive game. Kelsey Bolte led the Cyclones on the boards with a career-high six rebounds and Ezell led the squad with four assists. The Cyclones shot 45.1 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. ISU outrebounded Michigan, 37-27, despite being undersized in the post, and committed just 12 turnovers for the contest.

The Cyclones jumped out to a 22-1 lead, behind 19 points by Lacey, including five treys, over the first six and a half minutes. After Michigan got its offense rolling, Lacey hit her fifth three-pointer to open the lead further, 25-8, giving her 22 of ISU's first 25 points in the first nine minutes.

Michigan cut the lead to 10 points, twice, but Lacey took it to the basket for a 35-20 lead and Bolte knocked down a pair of free throws to end the half with a 37-20 Iowa State advantage. The Cyclone defense held the Wolverines without a field goal for the last 4:52 of the first period.

Iowa State shot 52 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and held Michigan to 33.3 percent.

Lacey hit her seventh trey with 17:50 to go in the game to extend the lead 42-25, but Michigan answered with four straight points from Krista Phillips to make it 42-29, cutting the lead to 13. Lacey again was the answer for the Cyclones, hitting on consecutive field goals, including her eighth from beyond the arc to make it 47-29.

The Cyclones stayed steady, as Ezell, Nisleit and Wieben each hit three-pointers. The Wolverines cut the lead to 15, 47-32, on a conventional three-point play by Phillips, but Wieben hit a three to extend the lead to 20, 58-38, and the Cyclones held on from there.

Next Event

Team Stats

Alison Lacey

Nicky Wieben

Amanda Nisleit

Heather Ezell

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bolte

Heather Ezell

Heather Ezell

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Nicky Wieben

Nicky Wieben

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics