No. 14 Iowa State took on No. 25 Villanova in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Cyclones came out victorious with a final score of 74-62.

The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats in every quarter of play except the 3rd quarter. All five Iowa State starters scored in double figures today.

The Cyclones are now 8-2 on the season. Here are my 3 takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s matchup:

Cyclones had a day from three

What put Iowa State up early in this matchup was their three-point shooting. The Cyclones shot an outstanding 50% from three and took quick confident looks when open.

The player letting it fly the most was none other than, Ashely Joens. The senior forward shot a strong 66% from behind the arc and was Iowa State’s leading scorer finishing the day with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore Denae Fritz also shot an impressive 3-3 from behind the arc. Fritz seems to have stepped into the spot-up shooter role and seems to finally be coming into her own midway through the season.

If Iowa State can continue to shoot this strong from the field, they’re gonna be a tough team to take down. The Cyclones just have to continue to shoot often and shoot confidently.

Emily Ryan is the team motor

Junior point guard Emily Ryan was outstanding overall today. Ryan was a rebound away from a triple-double today, finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Ryan is the heart and soul of this team and her impact is easily felt throughout the Cyclones' success. It was great to see her step up in such a big game.

Ryan continues to go above and beyond to do whatever it takes to win a game. Today, the stat sheet really backed that up.

Cyclones dominated the glass

Iowa State was hungry on the boards this afternoon as they out-rebounded Villanova 42-25. This stat often goes overlooked but is usually the ‘say all tell all’ on if a team is gonna win a game.

With the rebounding numbers being that lopsided you could see it led to more scoring opportunities down the stretch.

Overall, a solid day in Connecticut. The Cyclones will get a few days to regroup before hosting in-state rival Drake on Thursday, December 22 at 5:00 PM on ESPN+ in their next matchup.