Williams Blog: Blazing Bolte

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

Iowa State women’s basketball coverage is brought to you by our good friends at Wilson Toyota of Ames. Follow Wilson Toyota on Twitter by the handle of @WilsonofAmes.

The numbers are out of this world. Actually, they’re borderline unbelievable. I’m not exaggerating either.

How good has Kelsey Bolte been throughout Iowa State’s first five Big 12 games? Take a look at these stats, compiled by Matt Shoultz of Iowa State sports information.

– Bolte is the only player in the Big 12 to score 20-plus points in her first five league games. She currently leads the conference in scoring (during league play) with an average of 24 points per game.

– Bolte leads the Big 12 in 3-point shooting with 57 treys made. She’s shooting 60 percent from long range during conference play. Here’s my favorite stat. In the second half of Big 12 games, Bolte is averaging 16.8 points per game. She’s shooting 72.2 percent from the field and get this, 87.5 percent (14-16) from 3-point range.

– In conference play, Bolte ranks fifth in field goal percentage at 58.3 percent. The kicker is that Bolte has taken nearly 30 more shots than anybody ahead of her on the list. To note, she also ranks higher than Baylor’s Brittany Griner and Texas A&M’s Danielle Adams in that department.

It will be a crime if Kelsey Bolte isn’t an All-American candidate at the end of the season.

What makes her numbers even more impressive is the fact that she’s doing it without another consistent scoring threat beside her. Every opponent that Iowa State faces this year has and will continue to key on stopping Bolte, and only Bolte.

“Our playbook is getting thicker and thicker. Usually, every time it gets thicker, her name is involved with it somehow,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said on Monday. “When you have a great running back, you get him the ball more. Whatever you have that is your number one asset, you’ve got to figure out a way to use it. What we’re trying to do is put her in a position to get more shots.”

Bolted dropped 26 and nine on Nebraska last Wednesday. The senior’s time competing inside of Hilton Coliseum is ticking away.

Check out Bolte and the Cyclones (14-5, 2-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m., as the Missouri Tigers come to town. As always, CycloneFanatic.com will be there to chronicle the game for you, courtesy of our good friends at Wilson Toyota.