No. 14 Iowa State Travels To Drake Thursday

Header Image

Where: Knapp Center- Des Moines, Iowa
When: Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6:00 p.m.
Projected Starting Lineup: Morgan Kane, Denae Fritz, Ashley Joens, Emily Ryan, Lexi Donarski
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: Noah Wolf, Jamie Steyer Johnson
TV: MC22/ ESPN+
Talent: Larry Morgan, Adam Emmenecker

The Lead
The 14th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) hits the road for the first time this season to take on the Drake Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley) on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. on ESPN+/MC22.

Key Storylines

The 14th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team looks to improve to 3-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Iowa State is looking for its first win in the Knapp Center since Nov. 24, 2013, when ISU topped Drake 84-67.
Emily Ryan has tallied 13 steals so far this season, she ranks second in the nation in steals per game with 6.5. In ISU's season opener against Omaha, she tied the school record with nine steals. Her nine steals are also second in a single game in the NCAA this season.
Ashley Joens returns for year four, fresh off a standout junior season, where she earned the Cheryl Miller Award, Sports Illustrated Second-Team All-America honors and Third Team USBWA honors to close the season. The junior finished the season fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging a school record 24.2 points a game. She earned an honorable mention nod from the Associated Press.
Lexi Donarski returns for her sophomore season after being named the unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Cyclone since 1998 (Megan Taylor) to earn the honor.
Donarski has started the season off with a bang, averaging 20.0 points a game, one of just three Big 12 players averaging 20.0 points or more. She has also averaging 4.5 3-pointers a game.
Three of Iowa State's starters for this season earned recognition by the Big 12 coaches to begin the year, with Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski earning Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 honors. Sophomore Emily Ryan earned honorable mention honors.

Last Time Out

The Iowa State women's basketball team is off to a 2-0 start after a strong win over South Dakota State, 75-56. The Cyclones fell to the Jackrabbits last season on the road, but earned a 19-point victory this season.
As a team, Iowa State put together a strong defensive effort, holding SDSU to 33.9 percent from the field, while shooting at a 42.4 percent clip.
Lexi Donarski and Aubrey Joens each knocked down three triples to pace the Cyclones from long range.
Iowa State saw three student-athletes reach double figures, with Donarski leading the way with 22, followed by Ashley Joens (17) and Emily Ryan (12).
Aubrey Joens was stellar as well with nine points off the bench and a game-high and career-high nine boards.

Back on the Court

Senior guard Ashley Joens is flying up the NCAA's active career leader rankings.
Joens is currently eighth in the NCAA in active career scoring average, netting 18.2 points per contest.
She ranks first in active career scoring among true seniors in the NCAA, with 1,712 career points.
Joens is also tied for 10th in career double-doubles with 31.
Joens is swiftly climbing the NCAA's career free-throws made category, with 432 made in her career, which ranks ninth.
Joens also ranks sixth in career free-throw percentage at 82.3 percent.
With 775 career boards, Joens checks in at 19th among active NCAA players.

Back on the Court

Despite returning a bulk of last seasons lineup, the Cyclones are still one of the younger Big 12 teams this season.
The Iowa State women's basketball team ranks seventh in the Big 12 in minutes returning for the 2021-22 season, returning 62.2 percent from last season.
Iowa State's three starters returning ranks tied for fifth in the league, behind TCU (5), Kansas (4), Oklahoma (4) and West Virginia (4).
ISU also returns 69.8 percent of its scoring, 64.4 percent of its rebounding and 74.3 percent of its assists from last season.

Players Mentioned

Lexi Donarski

Denae Fritz

Ashley Joens

Aubrey Joens

Morgan Kane

Emily Ryan

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics