Iowa State women's basketball team earns first Big 12 Tournament title since 2001

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State star Ashley Joens stood at the free-throw line at Municipal Auditorium with 53 seconds left, putting the finishing touches on her team’s win over Texas in the Big 12 Tournament final Sunday.

As Joens got ready to toss up her second attempt, many of the announced crowd of 5,045 started chanting “MVP.”

“We have very smart fans,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.

Joens was the star of the game and the tournament. Her second double-double of the tournament propelled No. 25 Iowa State to its first Big 12 Tournament title in more than two decades as Iowa State beat No. 16 Texas 61-51. Joens, a fifth-year senior, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“To be able to play with this team and to be able to do it with this team and these coaches, it’s as good as it gets,” Joens said.

The Iowa City native tallied 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Iowa State’s quarterfinal win over Baylor. Joens followed that with a 22-point, eight-rebound performance in a semifinal win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the semifinals. Joens then scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the championship game.

She was the driving force behind Iowa State's seventh Big 12 Tournament title game appearance (first since 2019) and the program's third title in school history (first since 2001).

“She was incredible,” Fennelly said. “Incredible for three days.”

Joens had plenty of help. Morgan Kane scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. Lexi Donarski, named to the all-tournament team, scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds. Then there was Iowa State’s defense, which slowed down a tough Texas team and held the Longhorns to 21.4% shooting (3-for-14) from 3-point range.

“We’re willing to fight and do whatever we need to do to win the game,” Donarski said.

It was a giant turnaround for Iowa State, the preseason favorite to win the Big 12. The Cyclones suffered through key injuries and at one point lost three games in a row, falling out of contention for the regular-season crown. But the Cyclones regrouped and got into a rhythm when they arrived in Kansas City. Fennelly said he started seeing signs of momentum late in the fourth quarter of Iowa State’s win over Baylor on Friday.

“I think our kids knew what it took to be successful here,” Fennelly said.

Especially Joens, who was a freshman the last time Iowa Stated played in the Big 12 Tournament championship game. Iowa State lost that game to Baylor 67-49. But Joens, who decided to use the extra season of eligibility awarded by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, knew big things were in store for the Cyclones this season. That’s what drew her back.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going,” Joens said.

That goes for the entire Joens family. Her older sister Courtney, who played at Illinois, won a halftime shooting contest Sunday. Ashley Joens likely improved her WNBA Draft stock with her strong showing on the big stage of the Big 12 Tournament.

A league tournament title was among the last things left for Joens to accomplish. Joens owns a long list of school records, but had missed out on the Big 12 championship before Sunday. Joens said the latest achieve is her favorite.

“But we’ve got more work to do now,” Joens.

Iowa State was set to learn its NCAA Tournament opponent and location during Sunday night's selection show.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball team wins Big 12 Tournament title