Cyclones Close Out Nonconference vs. South Dakota

01.04.2010 | Women's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State will wrap up the regular-season nonconference schedule Tuesday when it plays host to South Dakota at 7 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. ISU will try to go undefeated at home against regular-season nonconference opponents for the sixth straight season.

What: Iowa State (11-1) vs. South Dakota (5-5)
When: Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010 ? 7 p.m.
Where: Ames, Iowa ? Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield; Talent: Rich Fellingham (pxp); Molly Parrott (color)
TV: Mediacom; Talent: BJ Schaben (pxp); Lyndsey Fennelly (color)
Webcast: Clone Zone
Internet Radio: Clone Zone
Live Stats: cyclones.com

Cyclone Notebook
? The Cyclones will open Big 12 play on Saturday by playing host to 12th-ranked Nebraska at 7 p.m. The Huskers are the only league team to make it through nonconference action without a blemish (12-0).
? Iowa State is in its 37th season of women's basketball and its 15th season under head coach Bill Fennelly. Iowa State is 554-495 in school history.
? The Cyclones have won 47 straight regular-season nonconference contests at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have not lost a regular-season nonconference game at home since the 2003-04 season (Washington).
? The 2008-09 season was one of the best in school history for the Cyclones. They tied a school record with 27 wins and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time. See page four for more background on last season.
? Head coach Bill Fennelly is 318-142 in his 15th season with the Cyclones. He is 484-195 in his head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 1988.

A Closer Look At South Dakota
? South Dakota comes to Ames with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 road mark. The Coyotes fell at Colorado State, 52-47, Saturday, after winning their previous two contests, including a 47-46 victory at Cal State Northridge. USD is in its second season as a Division I program.
? The Coyotes went 18-11 overall last season, including a win over Northern Iowa, and posted a winning streak of nine straight games. USD finished the 2008-09 season with a 75-69 loss at North Carolina.
? Former Cyclone Alexis Yackley is now on the South Dakota roster, but will not play against ISU due to NCAA transfer rules. Yackley averaged two points and 0.7 assists in 26 games last season for ISU.
? Sophomore forward Amber Hegge is USD's leading scorer (11.8) and rebounder (6.9). She is shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc this season. Junior Abby Kinder is the Coyotes' top three-point threat, hitting 18 treys this season.
? Ryun Williams is in his second season as the head coach at South Dakota. He is the winningest women's basketball coach in Wayne State (Neb.) history and he is a former USD men's basketball player.

The Series
South Dakota leads the all-time series with Iowa State 4-3, but the two teams have not met in women's basketball since 1989. The Cyclones won the first game in the series (1978) and won the last two meetings between the teams. South Dakota won the four games in between.

Last Time Out
? Iowa State held Lafayette to an ISU opponent record low 25 points, as the Cyclones cruised to a 67-25 win over the Leopards on Sunday.
? Chelsea Poppens had a career day, posting a double-double in the first half (10-10). She led ISU with career high points (22) and rebounds (11).
? Alison Lacey moved up to ninth place on the ISU career scoring chart, passing Tracy Gahan in the process.
? Freshman Amanda Zimmerman also had a solid game, tying her career highs with 11 points and six rebounds.
? The Cyclones outrebounded their 12th consecutive opponent against Lafayette. Iowa State dominated the boards in the game, with a 46-23 advantage on the glass.
? Freshman Anna Prins finally returned to the court for ISU, after missing six games with a viral infection. Prins had eight minutes and three points in the contest.
? ISU's 42-point winning margin was its greatest since defeating Niagara (89-39) by 50 last season.
? Lafayette's 25 points represented the first time ISU has held an opponent under 30 points since holding Nicholls State to 28 (77-28) on Dec. 29, 2005.

Hitting the Glass
Iowa State has been a solid rebounding team this season, winning the battle of the boards in every game. In the last two contests, the Cyclones have averaged a rebounding margin of +26.5. ISU outrebounded Fairfield and Lafayette by a combined total of 93-40, and in each game the Cyclones had more rebounds than the other team had points. Iowa State is averaging a rebounding margin of +12.1 per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and seventh in the country. Rebounding has been a team effort, however, as five players are averaging five rebounds per game or more.

Defensive Pressure
The Cyclone defense has also been a bragging point this season. Iowa State is holding opponents to just 51.2 points per game through 12 contests. That mark leads the Big 12 and is eighth in the nation. ISU is also holding opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Triple Threat
ISU senior Alison Lacey has been nothing short of spectacular through the first 12 games of the season. The 6-foot point guard is averaging 17.9 points, 7.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. In Iowa State's win over Iowa, Lacey posted just the second triple-double in school history. She recorded 19 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. In that same game, she also had five steals and two blocked shots. The only other triple-double in school history was by Jane Lobenstein in a game vs. Kansas in 1986. Lacey has scored in double figures in every game this season and has only turned the ball over 20 times in 12 games. She is shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from beyond the arc.

On Fire
Iowa State has been the hottest three-point shooting team in the nation this season. The Cyclones have averaged 9.4 three-pointers per game and have shot the ball at a 44.5 percent clip from beyond the arc. Iowa State has hit 10 or more three-pointers in six of its 12 games this season. ISU hit 33 three-pointers in back-to-back games this season (17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 16 vs. Iowa). It's the first time in school history Iowa State has hit 30 or more treys in consecutive games combined. ISU has also hit at least 10 threes by halftime in two games. Three Cyclones have knocked down 27 or more three-pointers. Five ISU players are shooting 43 percent or better from long range this season.

National Status
In NCAA statistics last released on Monday, Iowa State had several individuals who ranked highly in a number of categories. Alison Lacey ranked in the top five in three categories. She leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.6), ranks fifth in assists per game (7.6), is third in triple-doubles (1) and is 12th in free-throw percentage (.898). Two Cyclones rank in the top 20 in three-point percentage, including Whitney Williams at third (.529) and Kelsey Bolte at 18th (.476). Bolte ranks 33rd in three-pointers per game with a 2.7 average per game.

Big 12 Status
Alison Lacey leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover margin (4.6), and is third in free-throw percentage (.898) and assists per game (7.6). She also ranks seventh in scoring (17.9). Kelsey Bolte is third in the league in three-pointers made with 2.7 pg, while Lacey is fourth (2.6) and Whitney Williams is eighth with 2.3. Williams ranks third in three-point percentage (.529) and Bolte is eighth (.476).

Big 12 Player of the Week
The Cyclones have won a pair of Big 12 weekly honors this season. Alison Lacey was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 7-13. Anna Prins was named Big 12 Freshman of the week for the week of Nov. 13-15. In wins over Big Ten foes Iowa and Minnesota, Lacey averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists per game. In the win over Iowa, she posted just the second triple-double in school history and the 13th in Big 12 Conference history. It was the third weekly Big 12 honor of her career. Prins earned her honor in the first week of the season after scoring 20 points in ISU's win over Florida Atlantic. She went 7-of-10 from the field, including hitting three of her five attempts from behind the three-point line. Prins is the first Iowa State newcomer to ever win the award in the first week of the season.

2008-09 Season Rewind
? The Iowa State women's basketball team produced one of the greatest seasons in school history in 2008-09, winning a school-record tying 27 games and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in school history. The Cyclones finished tied for third in the Big 12 regular-season standings and advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship for the third consecutive season.
? Iowa State finished the season at 27-9 overall and 11-5 in the Big 12. The Cyclones have reached 20 wins for three straight seasons and 10 times in school history, including nine under head coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones' 23 regular-season wins tied the ISU record (also done in 1997-98).
? The Cyclones finished the season ranked 17th in the final Associated Press Poll (which is put out before the NCAA Championship begins) and were ranked 11th in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. ISU's No. 11 ranking in the coaches' top 25 was its highest postseason ranking since the 2000-01 campaign when it finished seventh.

Preseason Accolades
Senior point guard Alison Lacey has earned Preseason All-Big 12 accolades for the second consecutive year. She was chosen as an honorable-mention pick by league coaches. Lacey ranked sixth among Big 12 returners in career scoring and ninth in career rebounding, entering the 2009-10 season.

1,000-Point Club Members
Alison Lacey joined the Iowa State 1,000-point club last season in the home win over Nebraska. She was the 21st player in school history to reach that mark and currently ranks ninth in ISU career scoring with 1,362 points. Junior Kelsey Bolte is also on pace to reach 1,000 career points this season, currently sitting at 827. Seven times in school history ISU has had two or more 1,000-point club members on the same squad.

Faces In the Crowd
The 2009-10 Cyclone roster is full of new faces with four freshmen and one junior college transfer. After graduating three starters from last season's squad, this season's team looks vastly different. Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte are the Cyclones' only returning starters and ISU returned just 28 points and 13 rebounds per contest from a season ago. With the exception of senior Genesis Lightbourne, ISU's inside players are all brand new. Anna Prins, Amanda Zimmerman and Chelsea Poppens will try to fill the void left by Amanda Nisleit, Nicky Wieben, Jocelyn Anderson, Toccara Ross and Ashley Arlen. Fellow freshman Jessica Schroll and junior college transfer Chassidy Cole are helping to build depth in the Cyclone back court.

Above It All
Cyclone freshman Anna Prins, at 6 feet 7 inches tall, is the tallest player in Iowa State women's basketball history. The previous tallest player was Kate Bauman, a freshman on the 2000-01 squad. Bauman only played one season for the Cyclones.

Enjoying a New Home
In September, both the ISU women's and men's basketball teams moved into the brand new Sukup Basketball Complex. The 37,000-square-foot, $8 million facility offers all of the amenities a program needs. Both basketball programs have 24-hour access to their own regulation size court and each team has its own team/lounge area and locker room. Both programs share a training center with taping stations, self-contained whirlpools and treatment tables to fully accommodate any rehabilitation or treatment demands. The training center also includes a fully equipped weight room and access to a treadmill and elliptical machine. The second floor houses the coaches' offices as well as a balcony video deck overlooking each court, video editing rooms, and a theater room for watching film.

Hilton Magic
Iowa State finished the 2008-09 season ranked third in NCAA attendance with an average of 9,754 fans per game. It was the highest attendance ranking in school history for the Cyclones and marked the 11th consecutive season of ranking 11th or higher in home attendance.

Welcome Back
The NCAA Women's Basketball First and Second Rounds will return to Ames and Hilton Coliseum March 21 and 23, 2010. Iowa State will play host to the NCAA women's basketball first- and second-round games for the seventh time since 1998, in addition to serving as host to the 2002 Midwest Regional. In 2008, the Cyclones played host to NCAA first- and second-round games in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. Since the NCAA has returned to a format of 16 four-team sites, Iowa State was able to play host at Hilton Coliseum.

Trey Bien
Iowa State has made at least one three-pointer in 462 consecutive games dating back to 1995. That streak ranks second in the nation. Canisius College unofficially holds the longest current streak at 466 consecutive games.

What are you doing?
Follow Cyclone women's basketball updates on Twitter. The overall ISU women's basketball account can be found @CycloneWBB. ISU head coach Bill Fennelly is also on Twitter and he can be found @ISUCoachFen.

A Sign of the New York Times
ISU senior Alison Lacey will continue to write a blog this season for the New York Times. It can be found periodically at: http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com.

The Weekly Word
ISU sophomore Whitney Williams will post a weekly video blog throughout the Cyclones' 2009-10 season. They will be posted on Fridays and will cover a variety of topics. To get the inside scoop on ISU women's basketball, Cyclone fans should check out the Weekly Word at cyclones.com.

The Magic Number
Iowa State is 74-14 (.841) all-time in Big 12 conference regular-season play when holding opponents under 60 points. ISU is 53-50 (.515) when a Big 12 opponent scores 60-79 points and 1-16 (.059) when the opponent scores 80 or more points. The Cyclones have lost 15 consecutive contests when allowing a league foe to reach the 80-point mark.

Home Sweet Hilton Magic
The Cyclones have been phenomenal at home during head coach Bill Fennelly's tenure, compiling a 189-33 record (.851) in Hilton Coliseum, including a 92-3 (.968) mark against regular-season non-conference opponents. Iowa State has gone undefeated at home three times, most recently during the 2004-05 season.

Joining the Team
The Cyclones have signed three players to National Letters of Intent for the 2010-11 season. Hallie Chistofferson, a senior from Exira, is an instate addition to the Cyclone roster, while Kelsey Harris is a guard from California and Lauren Mansfield is a sophomore at Midland (Texas) College but is originally from Adelaide, Australia. Going into her senior campaign, Christofferson, a 6-3 forward, had accumulated 1,542 career points for an average of 21.4 points per game and pulled down 911 career rebounds for an average of 12.7 rpg. Mansfield, a 5-7 guard, is a true point guard with outstanding three-point shooting ability. In her first season at Midland College, she shot a stellar 48 percent from beyond the arc while leading the Lady Chaps to a 30-2 overall record. Harris, a 5-10 guard, is also an outstanding three-point shooter. As a junior, she led Brea to the California state championship game, where she hit five three-pointers and scored 25 points.

Coaching Consistency
Iowa State has returned the same coaching staff for the last seven seasons. Associate head coach Jack Easley is the newest to the staff and is in his seventh campaign with the Cyclones. Latoja Schaben 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 eight seasons.