Cyclones Thump Cleveland State in Season Opener

The heavily anticipated season has finally started, and man did the Clones fly out of the gate. Let’s get right into it.

1st Quarter

Fennelly sent out a starting lineup of Stephanie Soares, Denae Fritz, Emily Ryan, Lexi Donarski, and of course Ashley Joens. The Cyclones started hot and Soares made her presence known in her debut by having an offensive rebound, four points, and a few blocks in the first two minutes of the game. With 9:24 left in the quarter Joens scored to take a 3-4 lead and the Clones wouldn’t look back from there, never giving up the lead again. They went into the quarter break up 24-11.

2nd Quarter

The second quarter would be the best of the game on both sides of the ball for Iowa State. Only giving up 9 points while scoring 32 put the game out of reach in the first half. Joens reminded Hilton that she’s the G.O.A.T. and dropped 16 in the quarter. The quarter was also highlighted by Denae Fritz finding her rhythm after missing the majority of last season, scoring 5 points and grabbing 2 offensive boards.

3rd Quarter

The third quarter would be the only quarter of the game that the Cyclones would be outscored (22-19). The Clones had their lowest shooting performance of the game but still managed to put up 19 points thanks to Morgan Kane, Soares, and Fritz each grabbing two more offensive rebounds. The Clones out-rebounded Cleveland State 13-8.

4th Quarter

The final quarter of the game gave opportunities to empty the bench. Freshman Shantavia Dawkins played all 10 minutes of the final period. The 12 points in the quarter came from Zingaro (5), Soares (4) and Diew (3). The Cyclones again outdid Cleveland State on the boards and were able to coast to a 87-54 final score in Hilton.

This season is going to be one to remember and I personally cannot wait; let’s enjoy this journey together Cyclone Nation!