Cyclones Open New Season with 80-40 Win

AMES, Iowa ? After celebrating last season's run to the NCAA Elite Eight, the 24th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team got the 2009-10 campaign underway with an 80-40 win over Florida Atlantic Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.

Freshman center Anna Prins blazed the way for the Cyclones, scoring a game-high 20 points, including going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. She also pulled down five rebounds for the Cyclones. Senior Alison Lacey came close to a double-double with 11 points and nine assists. With her 11 points, she moved into a tie for 15th place on the Iowa State career scoring chart with 1,158 points. Denae Stuckey led the squad on the glass with six rebounds.

Chelsea Poppens also finished with 17 points, after picking up two early fouls and sitting most of the first half. Jessica Knurick led Florida Atlantic with 12 points and seven rebounds.

“I told the players before the game that we were dropping the Elite Eight banner and recognizing a special team and a special group of people,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. “I asked them to give an effort that that team would have expected and they did great. Alison Lacey really set the tone early.”

After a rough start from beyond the arc in the first half, the Cyclones finished with nine three-pointers for the contest, shooting 43 percent from long range. ISU shot 52 percent from the field for the contest and the Cyclones outrebounded Florida Atlantic 39-29. The ISU defense held the Owls to 27.5 percent shooting from the field and 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.

“Anna and Chelsea did some really good things,” Fennelly said. “Anna is extremely skilled and she stepped out and hit three three-pointers. Pop (Poppens) to her credit didn't have a very good first half and she could have pouted, but she didn't. They are both doing a great job for us.”

The Cyclones opened a 12-6 lead off consecutive baskets by Prins and a field goal by Lacey, before both teams went cold. Over the next four minutes, the two teams combined for 11 consecutive misses before Whitney Williams hit a free throw and Prins got a field goal to give ISU a 15-6 edge.

After FAU cut the ISU lead to 19-13, the Cyclones finally got their outside game going, hitting back to back three-pointers, including the first from the 6-7 Prins, proving she can knock down the outside shot as well. Lacey hit the second to make the score 25-13 with 4:22 to go in the half.

Iowa State closed the half on an 8-0 run to go to the locker room with a 33-16 advantage. Prins led the way for the Cyclones with 13 first half points. ISU shot 43.3 percent from the field and 25 percent (3-12) from beyond the arc in the opening stanza, while the Cyclone defense held the Owls to 20.7 percent shooting from the floor.

Out of the locker room, the Cyclones increased their lead 44-22 with an 8-0 run that was started with a conventional three-point play by Poppens and capped with a Poppens fastbreak bucket. Prins and Lacey again connected on back-to-back field goals from beyond the arc to push the Cyclones ahead 50-22. The Cyclones didn't look back from there.

All nine available Cyclones scored for the Cyclones.

The Cyclones will hit the road for the next three games, traveling to Des Moines for a game next Sunday against instate rival Drake at 2 p.m. Iowa State will then travel to Evanston, Ill., for two games in Northwestern's Doubletree White Invitational on Nov. 27 and 28. ISU will return home on Dec. 1 for a 7 p.m. game against Mississippi Valley State.

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Team Stats

Anna Prins

Chelsea Poppens

Alison Lacey

Chassidy Cole

Players Mentioned

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Chelsea Poppens

Anna Prins

Denae Stuckey

Denae Stuckey

Whitney Williams

Whitney Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics