WBB Final: ISU 58 Drake 51

[j_crow]

Congrats to the Twister Sisters on another victory...looks like our domination of the boards (42-30) is what won it for us today...

[cmoore_23]

it was a good game (i went to it) but alot of no calls when we were getting hacked on lay ups.. and a bunch of touch fouls called both ways.. refs were not very good at all the whole game.. once again the team kinda struggled from behind the arc.. but Defense once again stepped up huge

[C.John]

Courtesy: Athletics Communications
Release: 12/09/2007
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa State and Drake combined for just six three-pointers on the afternoon, but the two teams hit four of the six in the last three and a half minutes as the Bulldogs took the Cyclones to the wire. The Cyclones held on, however, for a 58-51 win over Drake Sunday at the Knapp Center.
Iowa State won its third straight to improve to 6-1 on the season, while Drake dropped to 5-4 on the campaign. The Cyclones will take a week off for finals before playing host to Creighton at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at Hilton Coliseum.
Three Cyclones finished in double figures, led by Nicky Wieben’s 16 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Kelsey Bolte nearly got a double-double in her first career start with 10 points and nine boards. Amanda Nisleit had 11 points, including the three that gave ISU the momentum at the end. Jordann Plummer finished with 17 points for the Bulldogs.
Iowa State shot 39.3 percent from the floor, while holding Drake to 31.3 percent for the contest. ISU out rebounded DU, 44-33, and blocked eight Drake shots.
“Five minutes to go and anyone is going to win it,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. “We were fortunate enough to make three plays in a row. Aus (Alison Lacey) hits a three, and Amanda Nisleit sticks a three and gets a three-point play. And as much trouble as we had scoring, we scored about nine points in 40 seconds. Getting out of here with a win is really good for our team and really showed some maturity.”
The Cyclones got out to a sluggish start, falling behind 8-0 after going 0-for-7 from the floor to start the contest. Iowa State was outrebounded 7-3 and had three turnovers in the first seven minutes. But the Cyclones finally caught fire, going on an 11-8 run to take their first lead, sparked by a Wieben basket and a smooth Bolte three-pointer.
After trading baskets, Iowa State put together back-to-back field goals by Bolte and Denae Stuckey, giving the Cyclones a 17-12 lead. The Bulldogs cut the margin to two, 17-15 on four straight free throws. ISU scored the next five points to make it a seven-point advantage. Wieben scored with 22 seconds left in the half to make it 27-20, but Monique’ Jones hit a free throw to send the Cyclones to the locker room clinging to a 27-21 advantage.
The second half didn’t start any better for ISU, as the Cyclones went 1-for-6 from the field to begin the last 20 minutes. Jones scored on back-to-back plays for Drake, cutting the lead to two, 27-25. The Bulldogs got it to a one-point deficit, 28-27, but Iowa State got consecutive field goals to again give it a cushion.
The Bulldogs wouldn’t go away though. Every time the Cyclones would get a four-point margin or better, Drake answered. DU cut the lead again to one, 36-35, and eventually tied it at 39-all and again at 41-all. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the contest, 42-41, when Lindsay Whorton knocked down one of three free-throws after the Cyclones were called for a foul on a shot beyond the arc.
The Cyclones retook the lead on a layup by Stuckey and Alison Lacey followed by knocking down her first three of the contest and only ISU’s second of the game with 3:20 remaining to give ISU a 46-42 margin. But Whorton came up big for DU and matched it with a three of her own, closing the gap back to one.
Nisleit answered and drained another three for ISU. Then after the Cyclones collected the defensive rebound, Nisleit took the ball to the basket for a layup and a conventional three-point play to give ISU a 52-45 lead with 1:11 left. But Plummer once again answered for Drake, hitting another three. The Cyclones hung on by hitting free throws to win 58-51.

[wheels686]

just keep the winning coming

[C.John]

By BRANDON CLEAVER • Register Staff Writer • December 10, 2007

LINK

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly found humor in his team's back-to-back low- scoring wins against in-state rivals.

"Fifty-eight back-to-back, I guess that's our lucky number," said Fennelly, whose Iowa State women's basketball team defeated Drake 58-51 Sunday, four days after beating Iowa 58-44. "We've got to get that up a little bit, but at least this week 58 was a good number."

Iowa State's 58 points in front of an announced crowd of 3,671 at the Knapp Center were the fewest points scored by a winning team in this rivalry since 1992.



Although Fennelly joked about the low scoring output, his team's ability to win despite offensive troubles was no laughing matter.

Iowa State (6-1) has been primarily known for its 3-point prowess. But in the week's two games against familiar opponents, the Cyclones made a total of five 3-pointers.

"That's odd for our team," Fennelly said. "I'm proud of the way our team found a way to win ugly."

At the 3:55 mark of the second half, Iowa State led Drake 43-42. Up to that point, the Cyclones had connected on one 3-pointer by freshman guard Kelsey Bolte, who was in her first collegiate start.
After a timeout, Alison Lacey, who was 0-of-8 at the time, hit a 3-pointer. Drake (5-4) countered with a 3-point basket by Lindsay Whorton, who finished with seven points.

Iowa State then hit another 3-pointer by Amanda Nisleit, who on the Cyclones' next possession picked up a foul plus the basket.

Prior to that 3-pointer by Nisleit, she was 0-for-3.

"I knew we all had to step up as a team and individually," she said.

Drake had guarded Iowa State's 3-point shooters well up to the last few minutes of the second half, holding them to 1-for-11 from 3-point range. But the Cyclones took advantage of their size throughout the game, scoring 34 points in the paint to Drake's 12.
The Cyclones haven't been outrebounded all year, topping the Bulldogs 44-33. Drake has allowed at least 30 points in the paint in six of its eight games this season.

"You really have to just go with where the defense is going," said Nicky Wieben, who led the Cyclones with 16 points and nine rebounds.

To counter its recent lack of offense, Iowa State has improved its defense. The Cyclones held senior Jill Martin to five points on 1-of-7 shooting. Martin came into the matchup as the leading scorer and rebounder in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Iowa State constantly had someone guarding Martin, and consistently switched on screens. But when this exchange occurred, the Bulldogs weren't able to capitalize on mismatches, such as a guard defending Martin.

Even without Martin's offense, Drake began the game well and after falling behind, took the lead late in the second half.

"We can win without Jill and Lindsay scoring," Drake coach Amy Stephens said. "We gave ourselves a chance tonight against a Big 12 school."
Martin did put her imprint on the game defensively. She forced Toccara Ross into three charges. Ross hurt Drake last year, scoring 23 points. On Sunday, she had three points.

"Jill did a good job of forcing her into taking shots she's not used to shooting," said Monique' Jones, who finished with nine points and six rebounds.