Cyclones Remain on Road at No. 24 Texas

01.16.2008 | Women's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

Jan. 16, 2008 ? 7 p.m. (CST)

Austin, Texas. ? Frank Erwin Center (16,775)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield

Talent: Rich Fellingham (pxp); Brent Blum (color)

Television: FSN Southwest

Talent: Brett Dolan (pxp); Debbie Antonelli (color)

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State continues its rugged schedule when the Cyclones travel to 24th-ranked Texas Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. It is the third ranked opponent in as many games for the Cyclones and the second straight on the road in a series of three of four away from Ames. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest. Brett Dolan will call the action, while Debbie Antonelli provides analysis.
-After coming off the road, the Cyclones will play host to Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Hilton Coliseum. And then ISU goes right back on the road to Kansas State on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
-ISU's lone senior, Toccara Ross, will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season due to a torn ACL suffered in the game at Minnesota.
-With a 76-50 win over Montana State, the Cyclones collected their 500th win in program history. They are now 508-475 overall.
-Iowa State has a one-game edge in the all-time series with Texas, 8-7, but Texas leads the series in Austin, 5-1. ISU's only win in Austin came in the 1999-2000 season, when the Cyclones defeated the Longhorns, 79-66.
-The Cyclones have won 17 straight at home against non-conference opponents.
-Texas was ranked 15th in both polls last week, before dropping back-to-back games to open Big 12 play at Nebraska and at home to Kansas State. Texas is 12-4 overall and 0-2 in the league. The Longhorns now rank 24th in the AP Poll.
-Subscribers to the Clone Zone will have access to eight more live game web casts of the women's basketball team. To subscribe to the Clone Zone, go to Cyclones.com.
-Iowa State returned 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.
-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 271-122 at Iowa State and in his 13th season with the Cyclones. He is 437-175 in his head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 1988.

A Closer Look At Texas
-The 24th-ranked Texas Longhorns fell, 77-74, in overtime at home to Kansas State Sunday afternoon. With the loss, Texas is 12-4 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 play. It was Texas' first loss at home this season in seven tries.
-In the loss to Kansas State, Ashley Lindsey earned her third double-double of the season, with all three coming in the last five games.
-Head Coach Gail Goestenkors is in her first season leading the Texas program, replacing Hall of Fame Coach Jody Conradt. She holds a career record of 408-103 to rank third among active coaches in winning percentage. She coached Duke to 13 consecutive NCAA bids and two national championship appearances in her 15 seasons with the Blue Devils.
-Texas is averaging 77.6 points per game and 45.1 rebounds per contest this season. The Longhorns are shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range. The UT defense has held opponents to 59.3 points per game and has allowed them to shoot just 34.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc.
-UT has six players averaging eight points per game or better, led by sophomore guard Brittainey Raven with 16.5 points per game. Ashley Lindsey is the Longhorns' leading rebounder with 7.4 boards per game. Kathleen Nash has led Texas with 19 three-pointers and Carla Cortijo is UT's assist leader with 4.8 per game.

Quick Hits
-Iowa State is 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference, and has had three players average double figures through those two games, led by freshman Kelsey Bolte with 22 points per contest. Alison Lacey is averaging 19 ppg and Nicky Wieben has posted 11.5 ppg in the Big 12.
-The Cyclones have swept the state of Iowa for the last three seasons, winning all three games against instate Division I opponents. ISU knocked of Iowa, 58-44, Drake, 58-51, and Northern Iowa, 69-41, for its third straight mythical state title this season.
-The Cyclones hit 14 treys against Colorado and are now averaging 8.4 threes per game for the season. A Cyclone player has hit five or more treys in six different contests this season. Alison Lacey has hit three or more treys in seven of the last eight games, and has hit five four times, including knocking down seven at Colorado.
-Junior Nicky Wieben has been in double digits in 11 of ISU's 15 games this season. Wieben has led the Cyclones in scoring in six contests.
-Nicky Wieben and Jocelyn Anderson have combined for 60 of ISU's 80 blocked shots on the season. Wieben is averaging 2.2 blocks per game after swatting seven in the first half against Hampton. She ranks fifth in the league and is tied for 34th in the nation in blocks per game. She holds the ISU class record for freshmen and sophomores and already is third on the junior list with 33 this season. She needs just three to break the ISU career record and 14 to break the junior class record.
-Sophomore transfer Denae Stuckey has started every game in her initial season at Iowa State.
-Amanda Nisleit is averaging 7.0 ppg, after entering the season averaging 1.6 for her career. She is averaging 4.6 rebounds per contest after coming in posting 1.2 rpg.
-Toccara Ross earned the Cyclones' first double-double of the season against Iowa with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kelsey Bolte got the second double-double of the season against Creighton with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Nicky Wieben added the third of the year at Colorado with 14 points and 11 boards.
-The Cyclones have been outrebounded four times this season, but they hold a +6.4 rebounding margin through 15 games.
-Junior forward Gillian Bjerke has transferred to Concordia University, St. Paul, a Division II school. Bjerke did not play for the Cyclones this season, but had played in 26 games in her career prior to this season.

One for the Money, Two for the Show
Junior Nicky Wieben needs one more blocked shot to tie Angie Welle for the Iowa State career record, and she needs two to break it. Wieben has 154 blocked shots in her two and a half seasons at ISU. Welle set the record from 1998 to 2002 with 155. Wieben has already broken Welle's freshman and sophomore records, nearly doubling each. Wieben is currently tied for eighth on the Big 12 career list with Oklahoma State's Christian Hood.

Build It and They Will Come
In the national attendance rankings which were last put out on Monday, Jan. 14, by the University of Wisconsin, the Cyclones ranked fifth nationally in fans per game with 8,491.

Last Time Out
Iowa State came from 12 behind in the second half and defeated 23rd-ranked Colorado, 84-77, in double overtime at Boulder, Colo., on Sunday. Sophomore Alison Lacey led the Cyclones with 27 points, including 16 in the overtime periods. Lacey was 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. Freshman Kelsey Bolte pitched in 21 points and Nicky Wieben finished with her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Cyclones took a 59-56 lead in regulation off a Heather Ezell three-pointer, but the teams traded baskets and sent the game into its first overtime tied at 61-all. ISU took a 69-65 lead on free throws with 55 seconds remaining in the first OT period, but Colorado got back-to-back field goals to tie the game at 69, sending the game to double overtime. Colorado immediately took a 74-69 advantage in the second OT period, but Lacey again answered as she sparked a 12-1 run by the Cyclones to finish the game. The game was tied at 77-all, but Lacey hit a key three to give ISU its final lead.

Big 12 Rookie Honors
Freshman Kelsey Bolte was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the week of Jan 7-13. She was Iowa State's leading scorer through the first two games of Big 12 Conference action, averaging 22 points and 4.5 rebounds vs. Oklahoma and Colorado. She shot 64 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent (5-6) from beyond the arc last week. The 6-1 freshman guard was also 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and picked off five steals in the two games. In the loss to Oklahoma, Bolte was 8-of-12 from the field after missing her last three shots. She started the game 8-of-9 from the floor. She led all scorers with 23 points and was 2-of-2 from three-point range. The Ida Grove, Iowa, native had four rebounds, three assists and four steals against the sixth-ranked Sooners. In the double-overtime win at Colorado, Bolte had 21 points, going 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-4 from long range. She also grabbed five rebounds and passed out a pair of assists.

Reaching Milestones
Junior Nicky Wieben is 129 points shy of becoming the 19th player in Iowa State history to join the 1,000-point club. Wieben currently has 871 career points for the Cyclones. Heather Ezell is nearing the 750 mark, with 716 career points, and Alison Lacey is coming up on 500, as she now sits with 489 career points.

Two of a Kind
Alison Lacey and Heather Ezell have combined for 78 of Iowa State's 126 three-pointers this season. Lacey is fifth in the nation in three-point percentage. She also ranks 11th in three-pointers per game, while Ezell is 75th.

Ezell hit 10 three-pointers against Sacramento State. Lacey hit nine treys in the next contest against Michigan and drained seven at Colorado. The pair knocked down nine combined three-pointers at Minnesota, 10 combined against Bowling Green and 10 combined at Colorado.

Lacey has hit a three in 14 consecutive games and Ezell has had one in 10 of the Cyclones' 15 games. Lacey has hit three or more in eight games this season, including seven of the last eight. Ezell has hit three or more five times.

It's Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight
Sophomore guard Denae Stuckey is Iowa State's smallest player on the roster, measuring 5 feet, 8 inches tall, but she is the Cyclones' second-leading rebounder. Stuckey is averaging 5.1 boards per game, and she isn't just doing it on one end of the court. Stuckey has 28 offensive rebounds and 48 off the defensive glass this season.

Taking Care of the Ball
Sophomore point guard Alison Lacey is in her first season as Iowa State's starting point guard, but has aged quickly, ranking 15th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. She has been a key cog in making the ISU offense run this season, passing out 4.7 assists per game, while committing just 2.1 turnovers per contest. In the first two Big 12 contests, Lacey has had 14 assists and just one turnover.

70 Is the Magic Number
ISU is 65-4 (.942) in the last five seasons when scoring 70+ points in a game. The Cyclones currently have a 24-game win streak when reaching the 70-point mark, dating back to a 79-71 OT win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on March 16, 2006.

Getting Defensive
Iowa State has held opponents to 53.5 points per game and has only allowed four opponents to score more than 60 points this season. The Cyclones are also leading the nation in fewest fouls per game with 13 per game. ISU's opponents have shot 36.2 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from three-point range. ISU has forced opponents into 16 turnovers per game. Iowa State is second in the Big 12 in scoring defense.

Nationally Speaking
ISU ranked in the top 26 in eight NCAA statistical categories, released Jan. 14, including ranking second in the nation in three-point field goals per game (8.4). The Cyclones are third in fewest personal fouls, ninth in fewest turnovers per game and 10th in three-point percentage. Iowa State is 12th in scoring defense, 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio and 16th in blocked shots per game. On an individual level, Alison Lacey is fifth in three-point percentage, 11th in threes per game, 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio and 54th in assists per game. Nicky Wieben is tied for 34th in blocked shots per contest and Jocelyn Anderson is 61st in the same category.

Big 12 Rankings
As a team, Iowa State ranks in the top six of the conference in nine of 19 statistical categories. The Cyclones lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.395), three-pointers per game (8.4), and assist-to-turnover margin. Iowa State is second in scoring defense, third in rebounding defense, fourth in blocked shots (5.4) and sixth in turnover margin. Individually, Alison Lacey leads the league in three-point percentage (.484) and is tied for first in three-pointers made with 3.0 per contest. Heather Ezell is fourth in three-pointers made with 2.2 pg. The pair also rank second and sixth, respectively, in assist-to-turnover ratio. Lacey is 11th in scoring (14.5 ppg) and third in assists (4.7). Nicky Wieben is 17th in scoring (13.0 ppg) and fifth in blocked shots, while teammate Jocelyn Anderson is seventh in the same category.

Down on the Block
Junior Nicky Wieben finished in double figures against Colorado (14), marking the 45th time in her ISU career she has scored in double digits and the 11th time this season to score 10+ points for the Cyclones.

Big 12 Player of the Week
Heather Ezell was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 19, after she tied the Big 12 and Iowa State records for three-pointers in a single game, knocking down 10 in a 99-45 win over Sacramento State. She broke the Hilton Coliseum record, which was previously eight three-pointers, and she tied Stacy Frese (ISU, 1999) and Laurie Koehn (Kansas State, 2003) in the Big 12 record book.

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 six votes in the AP Poll this week, the first votes it has received in several weeks. With those votes, ISU ranks 36th. Six teams in the Big 12 are currently ranked in the top 25 and three more are receiving votes. Last week, ISU got 20 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, moving up to rank 28th.

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 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 last 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 and Coale are tied for the most Big 12 regular-season wins by current league coaches with 111.

Home Sweet Hilton Magic
The Cyclones have been phenomenal at home during head coach Bill Fennelly's tenure, compiling a 163-28 record (.853) in Hilton Coliseum, including a 78-3 (.963) 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 394 consecutive games dating back to 1995. That streak now ranks second in the nation. Canisius College unofficially holds the longest current streak at 406 consecutive games, while Iowa State is second.

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.