Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCF on January 31, 2026 , Win , 65, to, 52
Final
Women's Basketball
65
UCF
52
Iowa State University Athletics
ISU Returns to Hilton for Tilt with Montana State Friday
11.28.2007 | Women's Basketball
Iowa State (3-1, 0-0) vs. Montana State (2-2, 0-0)
Nov. 30, 2007 ? 7 p.m.
Ames, Iowa ? Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: Rich Fellingham (pxp); Brent Blum (color)
Webcast: Clone Zone at cyclones.com (videoboard feed)
Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State returns home for its next two games, taking on Montana State at 7 p.m. Friday at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones will then play host to Iowa in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 5.
-Iowa State has 499 wins in program history and needs just one more win to reach the 500-win mark. The Cyclones are 499-473 in school history.
-The Cyclones went 1-1 in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament, falling to 19th-ranked Vanderbilt in the championship game last Sunday, 62-53. Iowa State defeated Michigan, 67-43, in the first round.
-Iowa State started the season 3-0 for the eighth time in school history. ISU has won its last eight straight games at home, dating back to last season. The Cyclones have won 10 straight at home against non-conference opponents.
-Montana State comes to Ames with a 2-2 overall record. The Bobcats won their first two out of the gate, but have dropped their last two on the road at Texas-Arlington and Denver.
-Iowa State is 2-1 all-time against Montana State. The last time the two teams met, ISU defeated the Bobcats, 62-49, on Dec. 29, 1996, in Ames. MSU won the only meeting in Bozeman, Mont.
-Subscribers to the Clone Zone will have access to 16 more live game web casts of the women's basketball team, including Friday's game against Montana State. To subscribe to the Clone Zone, go to Cyclones.com.
-Iowa State returns 10 letterwinners from its 2006-07 NCAA Tournament team. Last year's squad went 26-9 overall and 10-6 to finish tied for fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State lost four players from last season, including a pair of four-year starters in Lyndsey Medders and Megan Ronhovde.
-The Cyclones have added three newcomers to their roster, but only one is a freshman. Kelsey Bolte is Iowa State's only true freshman from Ida Grove, Iowa. Denae Stuckey is a sophomore transfer from Butler Community College and junior Jocelyn Anderson came to ISU from Des Moines Area Community College.
-Toccara Ross is Iowa State's only senior this season and is in her second season with the Cyclones after transferring last year from Kirkwood Community College. She averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in her initial season at ISU.
-Junior Nicky Wieben is Iowa State's only returning 2007 Big 12 honoree. The 6-4 post player averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds as a sophomore to earn All-Big 12 honorable-mention accolades last season.
-Iowa State is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, recording a 26-9 overall record, one win shy of the school record. The Cyclones made the postseason for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones won nine of their final 11 games of the season and won three games in as many days to make it to the title game of the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
-Head coach Bill Fennelly is 262-120 at Iowa State and in his 13th season with the Cyclones. He is 428-173 in his head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 1988.
A Closer Look At Montana State
-Montana State is 2-2 on the season, coming into Ames. The Bobcats won their first two games against Idaho and Montana State-Billings, but have dropped their last two on the road at Texas-Arlington (70-43) and at Denver (80-68).
-Tricia Binford begins her third year at the helm of the Montana State women's basketball squad this season. Binford has already put her mark on the MSU program, leading the Bobcats to the 11th-best turn around in the nation, last winter.
-Rebecca Mercer was named Montana State's Player of the Week for her efforts at the University of Texas at Arlington. Mercer, who was the 2007 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year, scored a team-high 15 points, connecting on five-of-11 from the field and four-of-six from the free-throw line. In addition, Mercer added four rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes of action.
-The Bobcats are averaging 66.5 points per game and holding opponents to 63.5 ppg. They have shot 39.5 percent from the floor, while allowing opponents to shoot 39.1 percent. Montana State has hit 19 three-pointers on the season and have given up 26.
The Cyclones Need Just One
Iowa State needs just one more win to reach the 500-win mark in program history. The Cyclones have a 499-473 overall record in their 35th season of women's basketball.
Last Time Out
Iowa State dropped a 62-53 decision at 19th-ranked Vanderbilt Sunday in Nashville, Tenn., at Vanderbilt's Thanksgiving Tournament. Alison Lacey and Nicky Wieben were each named to the All-Tournament Team. Wieben led the Cyclones with 15 points and nine rebounds against VU. Iowa State struggled against Vandy's defensive pressure, committing 18 turnovers on the afternoon, while passing out just five assists. ISU shot 38.3 percent from the field for the contest, while Vanderbilt hit 45.3 percent.
It's Raining Threes
The Cyclones have averaged 10 three-pointers per game this season, hitting 17 and 12, respectively, against Sacramento State and Michigan. Heather Ezell knocked down 10 treys in the win over Sacramento State and Alison Lacey caught fire, draining nine in the win over Michigan. Iowa State is shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc, which leads the Big 12 Conference. Despite playing the fewest number of games to date in the conference, ISU leads the league with 40 three-pointers on the season. The next closest is Texas Tech with 36 three-pointers, and the Red Raiders have already played twice the number of games of the Cyclones.
Scouting the Cyclones
Through four games this season, the Cyclones have gone to several different players for big games. Three different players have led ISU in scoring: Nicky Wieben (Pepperdine, 24; Vanderbilt, 15), Heather Ezell (Sacramento State, 32) and Alison Lacey (Michigan, 35). Five different players have also led ISU on the glass: Denae Stuckey and Toccara Ross (Pepperdine, 7), Jocelyn Anderson (Sacramento State, 9), Kelsey Bolte (Michigan, 6) and Nicky Wieben (Vanderbilt, 9).
Down on the Block
Junior Nicky Wieben finished in double figures against Vanderbilt (15), marking the 38th time in her ISU career she has scored in double digits and the sixth consecutive game to score 10+ points for the Cyclones. She matched her career high with 24 points against Pepperdine. She also has seven blocks on the season and 128 blocked shots for her career. She needs 28 blocks to break the Iowa State career record.
On Point
Sophomore Alison Lacey set a new career high with 10 assists against Pepperdine in her official debut as ISU's starting point guard. The last time a Cyclone had 10 assists was when Lyndsey Medders had 10 against Washington in the 2007 NCAA Tournament first round on March 17, 2007.
Coaching Consistency
Iowa State has returned the same coaching staff for the last five seasons. Associate head coach Jack Easley is the newest to the staff and is in his fifth campaign with the Cyclones. Latoja Schaben is not new to the staff, but she was married during the offseason, going from Latoja Harris to Latoja Schaben. She played for Coach Fennelly at Toledo, while fellow assistant Jodi Steyer coached for Fennelly at Toledo from 1989 to 1996 and has been at Iowa State for the past five seasons.
The Votes Are In
The Iowa State women's basketball team received votes in both polls this week. The Cyclones received one vote in the A.P. Poll and 10 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, ranking 36th.
Coming On Board
Iowa State will add the services of three outstanding newcomers in 2008-09, head coach Bill Fennelly announced when Ashley Arlen (Cascade, Iowa), Whitney Williams (Ft. Worth, Texas) and Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.) each signed national letters of intent.
Arlen is a 6-1 forward, who averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and two blocks per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field for the Cascade Bruins last season.
Williams, a 5-7 guard, plays for the Texas Home Educators Sports Association (THESA) of Fort Worth, which finished 38-12 last year under head coach Alan Burt. She hit 206 three-pointers last season at a 48.7 percent clip and averaged 24.3 points as a junior.
Yackley, also a 5-7 guard, has been the starting point guard for Sully Buttes High School since the eighth grade, and led the Chargers to the South Dakota State B Basketball state title in her junior season. She was named first-team all-state as a sophomore and junior.
Fennelly's the Dean of the Big 12
With Jody Conradt stepping down as head coach at the University of Texas at the conclusion of last season, Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly became the new dean of Big 12 coaches. Fennelly wrapped up his 12th season at Iowa State, followed closely by Deb Patterson (Kansas State) and Sherri Coale (Oklahoma), who each finished their 11th campaign at a Big 12 institution. Fennelly is tied with Coale for the most Big 12 regular-season wins by current league coaches with 110.
Home Sweet Hilton Magic
The Cyclones have been phenomenal at home during head coach Bill Fennelly's tenure, compiling a 156-27 record (.852) in Hilton Coliseum, including a 71-3 mark against regular-season non-conference opponents. Iowa State was a last-second shot away from going undefeated at home in 2006-07, finishing with a 15-1 record at Hilton. ISU finished the 2006-07 season ranked seventh in attendance, marking the ninth consecutive season the Cyclones have ranked 11th or higher in the nation.
Trey Bien
Iowa State has made at least one three-pointer in 383 consecutive games dating back to 1995. That streak now ranks second in the nation. Canisius College unofficially holds the longest current streak at 394 consecutive games, while Iowa State is second.
Take the Bus
ISU is offering a bus trip to watch the Cyclones face Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Dec. 21. The trip, which will include a ticket to the game, a round-trip bus ride to Minneapolis, and last minute holiday shopping at Mall of America, is available for $40. Fans can mail in or drop off an order form at the ISU Athletic Department or register online. The deadline for registration is Monday, Dec. 3, at noon. The trip is subject to cancellation depending on participation.
NCAA Tournament Host
Iowa State will play host to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball First and Second Rounds at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on March, 22 and 24, 2008. The site will host eight teams and if Iowa State is selected for the 2008 NCAA Tournament, it is guaranteed that the Cyclones will be one of the eight teams that will play in Des Moines. The teams selected to play in Des Moines will be announced on the NCAA Selection Show on ESPN Monday, March 17, 2008.
Fans can purchase all-session tickets ($35 for adults and $20 for students and youth) and single-session tickets ($15 for adults and $10 for students and youth per session). A single-session ticket will be available the week of the event and each session will include two games. Anyone 18 and under and all college students qualify for the student/youth fee. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.dahlstickets.com or by calling 1-8866-55DAHLS (866-553-2457).
Preseason Picks
The Iowa State women's basketball team was picked sixth by the Big 12 Conference coaches in the 2007-08 preseason poll. Iowa State was ranked 36th by CBSSports.com in its preseason magazine. The Cyclones were one of seven teams from the Big 12 ranked by the magazine.
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