Iowa State Hosts Drake To Close Non-Conference Slate

Credit Source: Iowa State University Athletics

Iowa State Hosts Drake To Close Non-Conference Slate

Where: Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa
When: Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 6 PM
Projected Starting Lineup: Kristin Scott, Ashley Joens, Kylie Feuerbach, Emily Ryan, Lexi Donarski
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: Noah Wolf, Brett Cooper
TV: ESPN+
Talent: John Walters, Lyndsey Fennelly

The Lead
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum to close out its non-conference slate with the Drake Bulldogs. Iowa State leads the all-time series 30-29, but is 18-9 all-time in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State is looking to improve to 6-3 overall.

Key Storylines

• Junior Ashley Joens is fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 27.0 points a game. Joens has notched four 30-point games so far this season, and her stellar play this season has earned her Big 12 Player of the Week twice.
• Sophomore Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw returned for the Cyclones after being sidelined due to injury for ISU’s first seven games. Espenmiller-McGraw tallied 14 points in just 15 minutes of action in ISU’s win over Kansas State.
• Freshman Lexi Donarski has tallied double figures in five games this season. She dropped 25 points against NDSU last week, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors. Donarski has emerged as Iowa State’s third-leading scorer with 12.8 PPG.
• Senior Kristin Scott rounds out the Cyclones averaging double figures with 11.1 points. She is also averaging 6.0 boards per game, which is second on the team.
• Emily Ryan is first in the Big 12 in assists per game with 5.5 per contest. She has 44 dimes on the year, which ranks fourth nationally.
• Iowa State off to a blistering 2-0 start to Big 12 action, scoring over 90 points against TCU and Kansas State. The Cyclones also won both games in league play by over 20 points.

Did Someone Say Freshmen?

• Iowa State’s freshmen class of Lexi Donarski, Kylie Feuerbach, Emily Ryan and Aubrey Joens have made an immediate impact on the Cyclones this season.
• Iowa State leads all power-5 schools with 21 freshman starts.
• Iowa State also ranks second among power 5 schools with 678 minutes by true freshmen, just behind North Carolina.
• The Cyclone freshmen have also totaled 39 percent of Iowa State’s scoring on the year, tallying 242 of Iowa State’s 617.
• Iowa State and California are the only two schools to start three freshmen this season.

Joens Among NCAA’s Top Active Career Leaders

• Junior guard Ashley Joens is flying up the NCAA’s active career leader rankings after a monster start to her junior year.
• Joens is currently eighth in the NCAA in active career scoring average, netting 16.9 points per contest.
• She ranks second in active career scoring among juniors in the NCAA, with 1,218 career points.
• Joens is also tied at 20th in career double-doubles with 22.
• Joens is swiftly climbing the NCAA’s career free-throws made category, with 294 made in her career, which ranks 23rd.
• Joens also ranks 13th in career free-throw percentage at 80.1 percent.