No. 12 Iowa State women's basketball rolls by Villanova
A trip north proved to be a successful one for the Iowa State women’s basketball team.
The No. 12 Cyclones had every starter score in double figures and cruised by Villanova for a 74-62 win in Sunday’s Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
After dropping the Cy-Hawk game, with a win over lowly Jacksonville in between, Iowa State (8-2) finally capitalized on a quality-win opportunity. Although unranked in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, the Wildcats (9-3) slotted 25th in the latest Associated Press rankings. The Cyclones wasted no time putting this one away.
Iowa State had a double-digit advantage early in the second quarter and morphed that into a 42-23 halftime lead. Villanova never climbed within single digits the rest of the way.
Three Cyclones delivered double-doubles. Ashley Joens led the scoring attack with 17 points to go with 10 rebounds. Stephanie Soares chimed in with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Emily Ryan finished one board short of a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Denae Fritz added 13 points with three treys. Lexi Donarski added 10 points while playing the full 40 minutes. All those contributions offset a 32-point performance from Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist.
With Iowa State’s best win of the season in tow, the Cyclones will close out their non-conference slate at 5 p.m. Thursday against Drake before beginning Big 12 play on Dec. 31 at Texas Tech.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: No. 12 Iowa State women's basketball rolls by Villanova in Connecitcut
