Jayhawks Up Next on ISU's Road Slate

01.31.2008 | Women's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

Feb. 2, 2008 ? 7 p.m.

Lawrence, Kan. ? Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield

Talent: Brent Blum (pxp); Molly Parrott (color)

Television: Metro Sports/ESPN360.com

Talent: Nate Bukaty (pxp), Patti Phillips (color)

Cyclone Notebook
- The Cyclones hit the road again for a contest at Kansas on Saturday, before returning to Hilton Coliseum for a three-game homestand. Iowa State takes on the Jayhawks at 7 p.m. in Allen Field House. The game can be seen on Metro Sports in Kansas City and online at ESPN360.com.
- Iowa State will come home to open its three-game homestand against Texas Tech at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. The Cyclones will also play host to Missouri (Feb. 9) and Kansas State (Feb. 13) in the home stretch.
- Iowa State front court starters Toccara Ross and Nicky Wieben will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season due to torn ACLs. Ross tore the ACL in her right knee against Minnesota and Wieben tore the ACL in her left knee at Texas. Ross is eligible for a redshirt, while Wieben is not.
- Iowa State will return its entire roster next season. Ross was ISU's only senior and should be eligible for another year of competition after her season-ending injury.
- With a 76-50 win over Montana State, the Cyclones collected their 500th win in program history. They are now 509-478 overall. ISU is 13 games shy of 1,000 contests in school history.
- Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 40-22, but the Cyclones have had recent success against the Jayhawks, sweeping the home-and-home series last season and claiming 15 of the last 22 meetings. KU leads 21-7 in Lawrence.
- The Cyclones have won 17 straight at home against non-conference opponents. The loss to Oklahoma snapped an overall 15-game win streak for Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum.
- Kansas is 12-8 this season and 1-6 in the Big 12 after dropping its last three and six of its last seven. KU fell at Oklahoma, 67-51, on Wednesday and claimed its only league win over Missouri, 66-60, on Jan. 19.
- Subscribers to the Clone Zone will have access to five 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 272-125 at Iowa State and in his 13th season with the Cyclones. He is 438-178 in his head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 1988.

A Closer Look At Kansas
- Kansas went 11-2 in the non-conference slate with wins over Drake and Creighton, to match the Cyclones, as well as Indiana and Boston University. The Jayhawks have dropped six out of their last seven since beginning league play, with their lone win coming at home against Missouri, 66-60, on Jan. 19.
- KU has averaged 61.2 points per game for the season, and just 49.9 ppg in Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks are shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three-point range. Kansas is averaging 37.3 rebounds per game, for a +3.2 margin on the glass. The Jays are committing 19.9 miscues per contest this season.
- Kansas has been led by sophomore Danielle McCray with 14.6 points per game. Sade Morris is posting 11.3 ppg. McCray also leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 boards per game. Nicollette Smith leads the Jays from three-point range, knocking down 31 treys at a 36.5 percent clip.
- Bonnie Henrickson is in her fourth season with the Jayhawks, posting a 52-57 overall record at KU. She served as head coach at Virginia Tech from 1997 to 2004 before making the move to Lawrence.

Quick Hits
- Iowa State is 2-4 in the Big 12 Conference, and has had four players average double figures through the first six games, led by freshman Kelsey Bolte with 19.3 points per contest. Alison Lacey is averaging 12.7 ppg. Nicky Wieben posted 10.3 ppg in the Big 12 before being sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury in the Texas game. Heather Ezell has posted 10 points a game in conference action.
- 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.
- Freshman Kelsey Bolte scored 20 or more points in each of her first four Big 12 games and has contributed 15 or more points in every league game this season. She is averaging 19.3 ppg in conference play to rank third in the Big 12.
- The Cyclones hit 10 treys at home against Colorado and are now averaging 8.0 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 eight of the last 12 games, and has hit five or more on four occasions, including knocking down seven at Colorado.
- Junior Nicky Wieben was in double digits in 11 games this season, before being sidelined for the season with a knee injury. Wieben led the Cyclones in scoring in six contests.
- Nicky Wieben and Jocelyn Anderson have combined for 74 of ISU's 98 blocked shots. Wieben averaged 2.2 blocks per game after swatting seven in the first half against Hampton. She holds the ISU class record for freshmen and sophomores and finished the season fourth on the junior list with 35. Anderson is now second on the junior list with 39 blocked shots this season.
- Sophomore transfer Denae Stuckey has started all but one game in her initial season at Iowa State.
- Amanda Nisleit is averaging 6.5 ppg, after entering the season averaging 1.6 for her career. She is averaging 4.2 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.
- 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.

Record Set
Junior Nicky Wieben broke Angie Welle's Iowa State career record for blocked shots against Texas, before suffering her season-ending knee injury. Wieben reset the record at 156 blocked shots in her first three seasons at ISU. Welle set the previous record from 1998 to 2002 with 155. Wieben is also now seventh on the Big 12 career list.

Build It and They Will Come
In the national attendance rankings which were last put out on Monday, Jan. 28, by the University of Wisconsin, ISU ranked sixth nationally in fans per game with 8,725.

Last Time Out
The Cyclones hit 10-of-23 three-pointers and outrebounded Colorado, 43-27, en route to a much-needed 65-45 win over the Buffaloes on Wednesday night. Four players finished in double figures for the Cyclones, led by Amanda Nisleit's career-high 16 points. Kelsey Bolte had 15 points and led the squad with eight rebounds, while Alison Lacey also turned in 15 points. The pair had three treys apiece for the contest, while Heather Ezell knocked down a pair and finished with 14 points. ISU held CU to just 30.6 percent shooting. Jackie McFarland was the only Buff to finish in double figures with 18 points, while the Cyclones held freshman standout Brittany Spears scoreless.

Big 12 Rookie Honors
Freshman Kelsey Bolte as named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the first two weeks of Big 12 Conference action. She has been Iowa State's leading scorer through the first six games of Big 12 Conference action, averaging 19.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. She ranks third in scoring in Big 12 games only. Bolte shot 64 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent (5-6) from beyond the arc against Oklahoma and Colorado. 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. In the double-overtime win at Colorado, Bolte averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in contests against Texas and Nebraska. The guard shot 51.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range.

Reaching Milestones
Junior Nicky Wieben is 121 points shy of becoming the 19th player in Iowa State history to join the 1,000-point club. Wieben ends the season with 879 career points for the Cyclones. Heather Ezell broke the 750 mark vs. Colorado, now holding 760 career points, and Alison Lacey hit 500 points against Nebraska, and now has 527.

Two of a Kind
Alison Lacey and Heather Ezell have combined for 90 of Iowa State's 152 three-pointers this season. Lacey is ninth in the nation in three-point percentage. She also ranks 21st in three-pointers per game.

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-pointer in all but one game this season. Ezell has had one in 14 of the Cyclones' 19 games. Lacey has hit three or more in nine games this season, including eight of the last 12. 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' active leading rebounder. Stuckey is averaging 5.2 boards per game, and she isn't just doing it on one end of the court. Stuckey has 31 offensive rebounds and 67 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 4.4 assists per game, while committing just 2.1 turnovers per contest. In the first six Big 12 contests, Lacey has had 26 assists and 10 turnovers.

70 Is the Magic Number
ISU is 65-5 (.929) in the last five seasons when scoring 70+ points in a game. The Cyclones snapped a 24-game win streak when reaching the 70-point mark against Nebraska. The streak dated back to a 79-71 OT win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on March 16, 2006.

Getting Defensive
Iowa State has held opponents to 66.5 points per game and Nebraska and Kansas State are the only two teams to break the 70-point mark against ISU this season. The Cyclones are third in the nation in fewest fouls per game with 12.9 per game. ISU's opponents have shot 37.6 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three-point range. ISU has forced opponents into 15.3 turnovers per game.

Nationally Speaking
ISU ranked in the top 25 in six NCAA statistical categories, released Jan. 28, including ranking fourth in the nation in fewest personal fouls per game. The Cyclones are fifth in three-pointers per game (7.9), 14th in three-point percentage (.383), 15th in blocked shots per game (5.3) and turnovers per game. Iowa State is also 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio. On an individual level, Alison Lacey is ninth in three-point percentage, 21st in threes per game, 17th in assist-to-turnover ratio and 74th in assists per game. Nicky Wieben is tied for 32nd in blocked shots per contest and Jocelyn Anderson is 42nd in the same category. Heather Ezell is 67th in assist-to-turnover ratio as well.

Big 12 Rankings
As a team, Iowa State ranks in the top six of the conference in eight of 19 statistical categories. The Cyclones lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.386) and three-pointers per game (8.0). Iowa State is second in assist-to-turnover margin and rebounding defense. ISU is fifth in blocked shots (5.2). In Big 12 games only, Iowa State is third in assists (13.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio. Individually, Kelsey Bolte and Alison Lacey rank first and second, respectively, in the league in three-point percentage and Lacey leads the Big 12 in three-pointers made with 2.7 per contest. Heather Ezell is seventh in three-pointers made with 2.1 pg. Lacey and Ezell also rank second and seventh, respectively, in assist-to-turnover ratio. Lacey is 15th in scoring (13.5 ppg) and Bolte ranks third ranks third in scoring in Big 12 games only with 19.3 ppg. Lacey is sixth in assists (4.4). Nicky Wieben is 19th in scoring (12.7 ppg) and fifth in blocked shots (2.2), while teammate Jocelyn Anderson is sixth in the same category (2.1).

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 did not receive a vote in the AP Poll this week. Five teams in the Big 12 are ranked in the AP top 25 and two more are receiving votes. ISU did not receive a vote in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week.

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 is second in Big 12 regular-season wins by current league coaches with 112, behind Coale (114).

Home Sweet Hilton Magic
The Cyclones have been phenomenal at home during head coach Bill Fennelly's tenure, compiling a 164-29 record (.850) 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 398 consecutive games dating back to 1995. That streak now ranks second in the nation. Canisius College unofficially holds the longest current streak at 410 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.