The following is a press release sent out by Iowa State athletic communications.
RENO, Nev. – Chelsea Poppens recorded her third double-double of the season and the duo of Kelsey Harris and Nikki Moody combined to hit nine three-pointers as Iowa State defeated Butler, 64-44, Saturday night at the Nugget Classic. The Cyclones improved to 4-1 with the win, while Butler drops to 1-4 this season.
Poppens equaled her career-high with 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Moody finished with 15 points behind 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Harris drilled four 3-pointers to finish with a career-high 12 points. Jessica Schroll dished out a career-high eight assists in the win.
The Cyclones used an 18-5 run midway through the second half to bust open a tight game. After Butler closed the gap to 39-31, Iowa State drilled four 3-pointers, three from Harris and another from Moody, over the next eight minutes to go on top 57-36 with 7:17 remaining.
The Cyclones would score just seven more points but it wouldn’t matter as the Bulldogs had a hard time getting anything going on offense.
Butler shot just 34.8 percent in the game and Iowa State held a 41-22 edge on the glass thanks in large part to Poppens’ 20thcareer double-figure rebounding game and fourth this season.
Iowa State overcame another slow start with Butler opening up a 10-9 lead with 10:30 left in the first half. The Cyclones then went on a 14-2 run to open up a 23-12 lead. Poppens led the charge in the opening half with 15 points and seven rebounds as the Cyclones went into the break leading 34-19.
Butler was led by Haley Howard’s 10 points. Jenna Cobb added eight for the Bulldogs.
Iowa State returns to action next Sunday when it faces Michigan at 1 p.m.
