Cyclone Women Win Preseason WNIT

The U is decidedly not back, as Iowa State easily won the battle of tropical storms and defeated the #24 Miami Hurricanes 75-52 to win the Preseason WNIT Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. Seniors Bridget Carleton and Ines Nezerwa led the way scoring 15 points each. Carleton was named tournament MVP, after averaging 16.3 points in the 4 wins.

In a game of runs, Iowa State scored the last 12 points of the first quarter to take a 24-18 lead, and used a 7-0 run late in the 2nd quarter to take a 10 point lead at halftime. Miami never seriously threatened in the 2nd half, as a suffocating Cyclone defense held the Hurricanes to just 31 percent shooting for the game, and 10 percent from 3. Nezerwa scored 15 points in just 12 minutes of action, posting a nice line of 6-9 field goals. Sophomore Kristin Scott also made a strong contribution off the bench, scoring 11 points.

After a tough 2017 season, it’s encouraging to see Coach Fennelly right the ship. It doesn’t hurt that the Cyclones have played host for all 4 wins, but they’ve now added 2 wins against power conference competition. With plenty of senior leadership, and exciting newcomers like Ashley Joens, the Cyclones should be poised to compete in the Big 12 again this year. Next, they’ll head north of the border to play Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.