Last Time Out

Iowa State gave Texas all they could handle, which was a good sign based on the fact that the Cyclones struggled against UT in the regular season. It was a great effort from Bill Fennelly and company, as they fell 82-73 in the Big 12 semi-finals. Ashley Joens poured in 33 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, Lexi Donarski had 11 points, and Emily Ryan had 8 points and 9 assists. Beatriz Jordao was very impressive off the bench, scoring 8 points, snagging 5 boards, and hitting her first career three-pointer. Jordao and Morgan Kane were excellent in the post on defense, which really gave ISU the best chance to win.

About UT-Arlington

The Mavericks come in at 20-7, champions of the Sun Belt Conference. This is just their 3rd NCAA Tournament appearance, the others coming in 2005 and 2007. They have never won an NCAA Tournament game. Fast forward to today, UTA really turned it on in their conference tournament, as they entered as the two seed and really had zero issues. UT Arlington really works the ball down low. They don’t really have any giants, and they have struggled from the outside this year. They haven’t made double-digit threes in a game all season. For reference, Iowa State has done that 17 times this year.

The only reference point we have for comparison is that the Mavs played a pair of Big 12 schools. They were beaten down by Baylor in game #1 of the season and fell to Oklahoma State back in December. UTA actually led Oklahoma State in 2nd half, but ended up losing by 15.

Opponent Player to Watch

Starr Jacobs has been awesome this season. The Sun Belt Player of The Year averaged 20.2 points per game, good for 18th in the country. At 6 foot 2, Jacobs shot over 55% from the field as well. Starr has had three straight games of 28 points, which is impressive regardless of which conference you’re in. She averages almost 7 rebounds a game, so this will be another battle for ISU’s big down low.

What Will Happen

UTA is severely over-matched here. ISU dominates with their long ball. “Maverick? I was more of an Ice Man guy myself. Clones in fo’.”

Iowa State University - 93

University of Texas at Arlington - 41

Pick Three

1. Morgan Kane dunks it.
2. Ashley Joens has 20+ points in less than 30 minutes.
3. Iowa State hits 12+ threes.

Game Notes

The Matchup: No. 3 seed Iowa State (#10) (26-5, 14-4 Big 12) @ No. 14 seed UT Arlington (20-7, 11-4 Sun Belt)

Where: Hilton Coliseum - Ames, Iowa

When: Friday, March 18 at 9:00 p.m.

TV: ESPNU Talent: Jenn Hildreth, Mike Thibault

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Varsity Radio App Talent: Noah Wolf, Jamie Steyer

Live Stats: NCAA.com