Cyclones Ax the Lumberjacks

The Iowa State women defeated a scrappy Northern Arizona squad 79-63 on Tuesday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum. Sophomore center Bryanna Fernstrom had 23 points and nearly recorded a triple-double with 13 rebounds and nine blocks.

The Lumberjacks hung around with the Cyclones for three quarters and only trailed by one point at halftime. Iowa State outscored Northern Arizona 22-9 in the 4th quarter to coast to victory. The Cyclones also stepped up on the defensive end in the 2nd half and limited the Lumberjacks to just 23 points in the final 20 minutes. It was the sixth straight victory for Iowa State in an undefeated December that includes wins over Northern Iowa and Iowa. At 8-3, the Cyclones will need a strong Big 12 season to reach a 10th consecutive NCAA tournament.

Jadda Buckley played 38 minutes in the contest for the Cyclones. Buckley made a determined effort to regularly drive the ball into the Northern Arizona defense, and she was often able to draw a foul or dish the ball to another Cyclone. Buckley finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Seanna Johnson had another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes. Kidd Blaskowsky was an efficient 3-4 from three point range; the senior finished with nine points.

The Cyclones start Big 12 play at Kansas State on December 30. Tip time is slated for 7pm in Manhattan, and the game will be shown on ESPN3.