Cyclones Beat SDSU, 75-56

The Fighting Bill Fennelly’s enter the night at 1-0, picking up a win against Omaha just under a week ago. South Dakota State enters the night at 1-1, most recently losing to SEC title contender Mississippi State and have the most recent victory in the series against Iowa State. Let’s get into things.

The first quarter got off to a slow start for both teams, SDSU forcing turnovers and bad shots from the Cyclones early. The Jackrabbits eventually put some possessions together to build up a 17-14 lead after the first quarter.

It didn’t take long for Iowa State to regain the lead, opening up the quarter on a 7-2 run that had 4 different Cyclone scorers. The teams traded baskets before ISU opened it up to an 11 point difference via a 14-5 half-ending run, 36-25 at the break.

The 3rd quarter was a lot of the same, the Jackrabbits making a small comeback before Iowa State would get hot and build up another big lead. Going into the 4th, the Cyclones held a 17 point advantage, 59-42.

In the final stanza, South Dakota State opened up on a 10-3 run to make it competitive game once again, but the duo of Lexi Donarski (22 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) and Ashley Joens (17 points, 8 rebounds) on offense and Emily Ryan (12 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) on defense was too much for the Jackrabbits. Aubrey Joens also caught fire late to boost the Cyclones to the finish line. ISU takes this one, 75-56.

The Twister Sisters are back in action this Thursday when they take on the Drake Bulldogs in Des Moines.