Unless selected to be a top 16 team and top 4 seed in the tournament, the Twister Sisters have played their last game in Hilton for the 2022-23 campaign. This year’s senior night that said goodbye to a beloved senior class including one of the greatest athletes to ever attend Iowa State. In typical Ashley Joens fashion, she had a double-double in a blowout win in her final game in Hilton.

1st Quarter

The Cyclones came out surprisingly slow to start the game. Giving up a 9-0 run and going down 9-2 early. Thanks to 7 first quarter points from Joens, the Clones were able to pull it together and grab a 16-13 lead going into the break despite only shooting 35% from the floor in the quarter.

2nd Quarter

The second quarter was an offensive barrage for the Twister Sisters. Everyone got in on the action with the Clones having six different scorers in the quarter. Freshman Denae Fritz led the quarter in scoring with 6 points off of a couple shots from behind the arc. Joens, Lexi Donarski, and Izzi Zingaro each scored 5. Emily Ryan played the entire quarter and scored 4 points as well as dishing 3 assists and no turnovers in the period. The other 2 points came from senior Morgan Kane, as the Clones dropped 27 in the quarter and took a 43-24 lead into half.

3rd Quarter

The Clones started the second half better than the first, with a 3-ball connecting for Fritz on the first possession of the half. Another offensive quarter that specialized in spreading the wealth was what worked for the Clones. With points coming from six different players yet again, the Clones were able to space the floor well and be too much for Tech. The scoring came from Joens (7), Ryan (3), Espenmiller-McGraw (3), Fritz (3), Donarski (2), and Zingaro (2). The Clones doubled Tech’s production in the quarter, outscoring them 20-10, extending the lead to 63-34 heading into the final quarter of the regular season.

4th Quarter

The final quarter let the Cyclone reserves get some minutes and gave the seniors their final ovation as they exited the court for the last time. Seniors Kane and Joens combined for 9 in the quarter before making way for Mary Kate King, Shantavia Dawkins, and Maggie Vick to make their first appearances of the night. The Cyclones would win with a final score of 52-76.

An all-around bashing for the Cyclones was the perfect senior night and cap to the regular season. With the big win, the Clones were able to clinch the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and gain some mojo heading into the post season.

A huge thank you to everyone who followed along with us this regular season, we have a lot of fun ahead of us still. The Cyclones next play Friday night in Kansas City at 7:30.

Roll Clones!