Cyclones to Face ETSU in NCAA First Round

AMES, Iowa - The 17th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team will make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships Sunday when it faces East Tennessee State University in the first round at 6 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky. The game will be televised on ESPN2, but will only be shown in its entirety in Iowa State's home market. The rest of the country will see the game in a “whip-around” fashion, where the network shows what it considers to be the most compelling action at that time.

Who: No. 17/19 Iowa State (24-8; 11-5) vs. East Tennessee State (20-10; 16-4)
When: Sunday, March 22, 2009 ? 6 p.m.
Where: Bowling Green, Ky. ? E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at NCAA.com
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield: Rich Fellingham (pxp); Molly Parrott (color)
TV: ESPN2 (whip-around): Clay Matvick (pxp); Sandy Sharp (color)
Webcast: ESPN360.com

Complete Pre-Event Coverage
Notes All-Access: Coaching Staff Preps for ETSU		Live Stats

Cyclone Notebook
? The 17th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team will make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships Sunday when it faces East Tennessee State University in the first round at 6 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky. The game will be televised on ESPN2, but will only be shown in its entirety in Iowa State's home market. The rest of the country will see the game in a “whip-around” fashion, where the network shows what it considers to be the most compelling action at that time.
? Iowa State is the highest seed at the Bowling Green site, coming in with a No. 4 seed in the Berkley Region. ETSU is a No. 13 seed. The winner of the ISU vs. ETSU game will go on to face the winner between No. 5 seed Tennessee and No. 12 seed Ball State at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
? Iowa State is 24-8 overall and finished 11-5 for a third-place finish in the Big 12 standings. ISU defeated No. 23 Texas, 59-55, in the Big 12 quarterfinals, before falling to No. 7 Baylor, 63-57, in the Big 12 semifinals. This is the third consecutive season the Cyclones have made it to the Big 12 semis.
? The Cyclones have reached 20 wins for the third straight season and the 10th time in school history, including nine under head coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones' 23 wins tied the ISU record for regular-season wins (also done in 1997-98). Iowa State needs just three more wins to tie the school record for single-season wins.
? Iowa State finished in a tie for third place in the Big 12 standings with Texas A&M. It is the Cyclones' best Big 12 finish since the 2004-05 season. ISU has finished in the top four of the league standings in three of the last five seasons.
? Three Cyclones have joined the 1,000-point club this season, beginning with seniors Heather Ezell and Nicky Wieben and capped by junior Alison Lacey, who reached the mark in ISU's home win over Nebraska. It is the first time in school history three players have reached the 1,000-point mark in the same season, but it is the second time the Cyclones have had three 1,000-point scorers on the same team (Angie Welle, Lindsey Wilson, Tracy Gahan; 2001-02).
? The Cyclones were strong at home this season, going 15-1 at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State had two games that ranked among the top 20 games in attendance in Iowa State history. The game vs. Texas on Feb. 15 ranked 18th (12,242) and the finale against Kansas ranked 15th (12,689).
? The Cyclones' home win over Colorado was head coach Bill Fennelly's 300th career win at Iowa State.
? Only one of Iowa State's five league losses came to a team not ranked in the top 17 at the time of the game. The Cyclones' loss at Kansas was their only misstep in the brutal Big 12 schedule. ISU's other losses came against No. 5/5 Baylor, No. 17/14 Kansas State, No. 2/2 Oklahoma and No. 13/14 Texas.
? Iowa State ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 on Feb. 9. It was the Cyclones' highest ranking in the AP Poll since rising to a No. 14 ranking for one week during the 2004-05 campaign.
? Iowa State's 12-2 non-conference mark ranked fourth among Big 12 squads this season. The Cyclones have posted four wins over ranked teams and they have all come at home. They include wins against 20th-ranked Vanderbilt (55-51), No. 21 Oklahoma State (63-55), No. 14/12 Kansas State (60-50) and No. 10/4 Texas A&M (67-50).
? The Cyclones have won 40 straight regular-season non-conference contests at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have not lost a regular-season non-conference game at home since the 2003-04 season (Washington).
? ISU is in its 36th season of women's basketball and its 14th season under head coach Bill Fennelly. Iowa State is 542-492 in school history.
? Iowa State is coming off a 21-13 campaign in 2007-08. The Cyclones made it to the second round of the NCAA Championship a year ago, defeating Georgia Tech in the first round and falling to Rutgers in the second. ISU finished 7-9 in the Big 12 for a seventh-place tie with Texas in the final league standings. The Cyclones made it to the Big 12 Championship semifinals by defeating Colorado, 76-50, and 15th-ranked and regular-season Big 12 champ Kansas State, 66-65, in an overtime thriller.
? Head coach Bill Fennelly is 304-140 at Iowa State and in his 14th season with the Cyclones. He is 470-193 in his head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 1988.

The Series
? Iowa State and East Tennessee State will face off for the first time in women's basketball in the first round of the NCAA Championship. While the two have not previously met, the Cyclones played host to the Lady Buccaneers in the 2008 NCAA Championship in Des Moines. ETSU faced a Big 12 opponent last season as well, falling to Oklahoma State, 85-73, in the NCAA first round at Wells Fargo Arena. The two teams were not in the same bracket since there were eight teams at the site, and had no chance of facing each other.

A Closer Look At East Tennessee State
? East Tennessee State is 20-10 this season and went 16-4 to finish second in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Lady Buccaneers took the No. 1 seed into the A-Sun Tournament since regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast is moving to Division I and was not eligible for postseason play this season.
? ETSU is in the NCAA Championship for the second straight season and is making only its second appearance in school history. The Lady Bucs fell to Oklahoma State, 85-73, in the NCAA first round last season in Des Moines, Iowa.
? ETSU has a high-powered offense that is propelled by five players averaging seven points per game or more, including three posting double figures. The Lady Bucs are averaging 71 points per game, which ranks 32nd in NCAA Division I. They are also a solid rebounding team, averaging 44 caroms per contest. The thing the Lady Bucs do best, however, is stealing the ball and creating turnovers by their opponent. ETSU averages 12.2 steals per game, which ranks seventh in NCAA Division I, and the Lady Bucs force 21.7 turnovers per game by their opponents.
? Junior Siarre Evans is ETSU's leading scorer and rebounder. She is averaging 16.6 points per game and her 10.4 boards per contest rank 15th in the nation. She was named the A-Sun Player of the Year and ranks sixth on the ETSU career scoring chart. Junior TaRonda Wiles is averaging 16.2 points per game, while Latisha Belcher has posted 11.9 ppg and ranks 12th in the nation with three steals per game.
? Head coach Karen Kemp is in her 15th season with the Lady Buccaneers and is ETSU's winningest women's basketball coach in school history with 214 career victories. She has led the Lady Bucs to 20-win seasons four times, including the last three consecutively. She was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year last season.

Iowa State NCAA Championship Fun Facts
? Iowa State is making its 10th NCAA Championship appearance, with all 10 berths coming in the last 14 seasons under head coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones are 11-9 in NCAA Championship games and have been to the second round in seven of their nine previous trips.
? ISU has been a four-seed or higher six times in the NCAA Championship. The Cyclones' No. 4 seed this season is its highest since earning a No. 3 seed in 2002.
? Iowa State played 11 teams in the field of 64 during the regular season. The Cyclones faced six teams that are seeded fifth or higher during the 2008-09 slate. ISU went 7-7 against teams in this season's NCAA field.
? Iowa State's best NCAA run came 10 years again, when the Cyclones made it to the Elite Eight before falling to Georgia. ISU was the fourth-seed in that tournament and knocked off top-seeded Connecticut in the Sweet 16, giving the Huskies their first loss ever in that round. The Cyclones recognized the 10-year anniversary of that team this season with a reunion and a half-time recognition on Jan. 31.
? The Cyclones have made three consecutive NCAA appearances, and have been to the second round in each of the last two seasons. Last season, ISU hosted the first and second rounds at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Cyclones defeated Georgia Tech, 58-55, in the No. 7/10 game in the first round. Iowa State then fell, 69-58, in the second round to No. 2 seed Rutgers, despite cutting the lead to five twice late in the game.
? Ten teams from the Big 12 will compete in postseason play, with six making the NCAA field. Oklahoma earned a No. 1 seed, while Texas A&M and Baylor were each seeded second. Texas and Kansas State each made the tournament field as well, with no team being seeded lower than No. 6. Last season the eight Big 12 teams to make the NCAA Championship were undefeated in the first round of action.

All-Big 12 Honors
Heather Ezell, Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte all garnered All-Big 12 women's basketball honors. Ezell led the way as an All-Big 12 Second-Team pick, while Lacey and Bolte each earned honorable mention. Ezell earned Big 12 accolades for the first time in her career. She has led Iowa State with 11.8 points per game, which ranks 20th in the conference. She has hit 80 three-pointers to rank sixth on ISU's single-season chart. Lacey earned her second straight Big 12 honor, after being named to the All-Big 12 Second Team last season. She has posted 10.6 points per game and leads the Cyclones with 3.7 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the conference. Bolte was named an honorable-mention pick after being picked for the All-Rookie Team last season. She has averaged 9.7 points per game and is shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range.

Last Time Out
Iowa State came back from a 12-point deficit to take a four-point lead (52-48) with 5:20 to go, but Baylor's Jessica Morrow hit two huge three-pointers to dash the Cyclones' hopes as BU knocked off ISU, 63-57, in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. Heather Ezell returned after missing the quarterfinal game with a hand injury, and she contributed six points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal in 28 minutes. Amanda Nisleit went 3-for-4 from three-point range for 13 points and nine rebounds. Nicky Wieben also turned in 12 points, going 5-for-10 from the field, and hit a pair of three-pointers. The Cyclones went 11-for-24 from three-point range and Baylor hit a school-record nine three-pointers. The Cyclones (24-8) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before going on a 15-4 run capped by a Nisleit three-pointer that gave ISU its first lead (47-46) since holding a 6-5 edge early in the game.

The Votes Are In
With a win over No. 10/4 Texas A&M, Iowa State ascended to a No. 16 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25. It was ISU's highest mark since ranking 14th for one week during the 2004-05 campaign. The Cyclones moved up one spot to rank 17th in the AP Poll this week. ISU is one of six Big 12 teams to rank in the AP Top 25. Iowa State remained at a No. 19 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 this week.

1,000-Point Club Members
The Cyclones have had three different players hit the 1,000-point milestone this season. Heather Ezell (1,296) was the first to reach the mark in the win over Drake. Nicky Wieben (1,210) joined the club against IPFW. Alison Lacey (1,085) became the third in the home win over Nebraska. With the addition of these three, 21 players in school history have reached 1,000 career points. This is the first time Iowa State has had three players hit the mark in the same season. Three members of the 2001-02 squad reached 1,000 career points, but they didn't all hit the mark during that campaign. Seven times in school history ISU has had two or more 1,000-point club members on the same squad.

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Heather Ezell

Heather Ezell

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Amanda Nisleit

Amanda Nisleit

Nicky Wieben

Nicky Wieben

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