Iowa State thoughts: Cyclones overcome odd struggles to advance to second round of NCAA Tournament
AMES — Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly gathered his team in the locker room at Hilton Coliseum on Friday for an important message at halftime.
Fennelly explained that the Cyclones, who trailed UT Arlington by six at halftime of Friday night’s first-round NCAA Tournament game, could go one of two directions in the second half.
“Make the decision when you walk up the ramp tonight, do you want to come back down that ramp tomorrow to practice or are you going to go up that ramp and just keep walking,” Fennelly said he told his team.
They decided that one way or another, they would be coming back the next day. The No. 3 seed Cyclones survived a scare from No. 14 seed Texas-Arlington with a second-half surge during a 78-71 victory.
More: Iowa State women's basketball survives scare from UT Arlington to advance in NCAA Tournament
“Our team kept digging and kept fighting and they earned the right to come back and play again,” Fennelly said.
Ashley Joens poured in 36 points while Emily Ryan added 20 as Iowa State improved to 27-6 and moved on to Sunday's 7 p.m. game against Georgia at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State rebounded from a sluggish start and a 12-point deficit in the second quarter.
Here are some takeaways from Friday's victory:
Emily Ryan shined when it mattered most
The Iowa State point guard scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter. Her layup with 4:58 left gave Iowa State a 66-64 lead. Ryan later connected on a huge 3-pointer that gave the Cyclones a five-point lead.
The Cyclones sophomore put on a similar performance in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament when she helped Iowa State to the finish line of a victory over West Virginia.
"I was just trying to find a way to win and that's what we did," said Ryan, who added six assists.
More: Iowa State women's basketball star Ashley Joens earns AP All-America honors
Ryan, Joens and Donarski carry the Cyclones
Ryan (20 points), Ashley Joens (36) and Lexi Donarski (14) scored 70 of Iowa State's 78 points in the victory.
Those three have handled a bulk of the scoring contributions throughout the season, but on Friday the Cyclones had nowhere else to turn. Iowa State's bench was outscored 17-0. Three Iowa State players who logged at least nine minutes didn't score at all.
"Obviously if we're going to have any chance Sunday, any chance, we better get something from the other people," Fennelly said. "They should be rested."
That was a fluky performance
If you're looking for optimism as Iowa State gets ready for its second-round game against Georgia on Sunday, you won't have to look too far.
Iowa State did not play its typical game in the first round. The Cyclones are a strong 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting team, but struggled in both areas against Texas-Arlington.
The Cyclones shot just 35% (7-for-20) from 3-point range, including 1-for-9 in the first half, and just 58% (15-of-26) from the free-throw line. Joens, one of the best free-throw shooters in the Big 12, connected on just 6-of-12 attempts. They are not likely to repeat those numbers on Sunday.
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"Those are things that our team usually doesn't do," Fennelly said. "And we can't to be successful."
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Emily Ryan's huge fourth quarter guides Iowa State women to NCAA win
