WBB: Cyclones cruise past UC Riverside

The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications. 

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (5-5, 0-0 Big 12) defeated UC Riverside (3-8, 0-0 Big West), 89-66, on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum. Cyclone newcomers Madison Wise, Bride Kennedy-Hopoate and Rae Johnson all set new career-highs in the game.

Wise led the way with a game-high 19 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. Kennedy-Hopoate followed with 15 points, while Johnson chipped in 14 points, nine assists and five steals, all career-bests.

How It Happened

Iowa State jumped out to a 19-15 lead after one quarter thanks to a swarming defensive effort. The Cyclones pressured UC Riverside into eight turnovers in the opening period. ISU was cold from the field early, making just 5-of-16, but made up for it with 10 free throw attempts in the first 10 minutes.

A 7-0 run early in the second quarter, including a 5-of-6 start from the field, opened things up on offense for the Cyclones. Bridget Carleton capped the run with a 3-pointer to give Iowa State its biggest lead of the half at 31-19 with 6:44. The Highlanders slowly cut the lead down to four, but Iowa State closed the half strong, scoring five straight to extend its advantage back to 43-32 at the intermission.

Carleton and Madison Wise led the way in the opening 20 minutes, with 10 points each. Carleton added a team-high eight rebounds and two assists.

Iowa State continued to extend its lead after emerging from the locker room. The Cyclones put together another 7-0 run and got eight points and four assists from Johnson in the third quarter to break the contest open. ISU had its largest lead of the game at 65-50 at the end of the stanza.

The Cyclones closed the door in the fourth quarter to finish out their second win in a row and improve to 5-5 on the season.

Players of Note

Madison Wise had a game-high 19 points to set a new career high. The freshman connected on 7-of-10 attempts from the field and chipped in four rebounds.

Rae Johnson had the best game of her young Cyclone career, notching career-highs in points (14), assists (9), steals (5) and 3-pointers (4). Johnson was 4-of-5 on 3-point attempts.

Bride Kennedy-Hopoate was the third Cyclone newcomer to set a new career high in the scoring column with 15 points to go with three assists and two rebounds.

Bridget Carleton logged the eighth double-double of her career and first of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next

Iowa State is back in action at Hilton Coliseum on Thursday at 1 p.m. to take on Nicholls State. The game will be broadcast on Cyclones.TV.