Defense Sparks Iowa State Past Chargers

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State women's basketball team got its first live game action of the 2016-17 season on Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum with an 85-46 victory in an exhibition competition against Briar Cliff.

A stingy Cyclone defense helped key the dominant performance, holding the Chargers to 15-of-52 shooting from the field and forcing 24 turnovers. Four Cyclones finished in double figures, with Seanna Johnson contributing 16 and Jadda Buckley with 14 to join Emily Durr (13) and Bridget Carleton (10).

How it Happened…
The Cyclone defense was the story of the opening quarter of play, as Iowa State set the tone for the game on that end of the floor in the early going and led 20-11 after one. With ISU shots only falling at a 37.5 percent clip (6-16), the Cyclones locked down on defense, and held Briar Cliff to just 4-of-17 shooting in the opening stanza, while forcing five Charger turnovers. Iowa State led by as many as 12 in the quarter, while led by seven points from senior Seanna Johnson.

Briar Cliff opened the second quarter with five-straight points, including an and-one from Erin Grimshaw to close the ISU lead to 20-16. The Cyclones responded with by ripping off a 14-0 run that put a seemingly competitive game out of reach. Six different Cyclones scored during the run, which lasted just over five minutes. At intermission, Iowa State held a 43-21 lead behind 11 points each from Johnson and Jadda Buckley. In total, nine Cyclones got in the scoring column during the opening half, as head coach Bill Fennelly spread minutes around by playing a variety of lineups.

The Cyclones came out of the locker room and picked up right where they left off, racing out on a 17-1 spurt to open the quarter. Junior guard Emily Durr provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points in the period. The sharpshooter was efficient on the offensive end, scoring 13 points on a tidy four attempts from the field, to go with making 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. By the end of the quarter, Iowa State had extended its lead to 72-32.

Fennelly was able to give his bench extended run in the fourth period, as Iowa State continued to stretch its lead. Freshmen Sofia Živaljevic and Nia Washington, along with senior transfer Heather Bowe all got their first minutes of game action in Hilton Coliseum in the game. Bowe was among the bright spots for ISU on the afternoon, with nine points, four boards and a block.

Cyclone Game Ball Goes to…
Seanna Johnson. The preseason All-Big 12 pick looked ready for her senior campaign with an all-around performance on Sunday afternoon, doing a little of everything for the Cyclones. The Brooklyn Park, Minn. native, had a game-high 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in 22 points.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has now won 35-straight exhibition games. ISU's last exhibition loss came in 1997.

Up Next
Iowa State opens its 2016-17 campaign Friday at Hilton Coliseum against UCSB. Tip-off is at noon, and the game will be televised on Cyclones.TV Powered by Mediacom.

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Players Mentioned

Heather Bowe

Jadda Buckley

Bridget Carleton

Emily Durr

Seanna Johnson

Nia Washington

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