Joens double-double leads No. 9 Iowa State over Kansas 85-59
Feb 23, 2022, 4:59 AM | Updated: 7:22 pm
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ashley Joens scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds and led No. 9 Iowa State to an 85-59 win over Kansas on Wednesday night.
The Cyclones (23-4, 12-3 Big 12) sit atop the conference along with Baylor after winning for the seventh time in eight games. Joens continues to make her case for Big 12 Player of the Year leading all scorers in the game.
“She changes our team because she’s hard to guard,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “Her versatility to score the ball makes her a great college player.”
Lexi Donarski scored 21, Emily Ryan had 10 points and 11 assists, and Beatriz Jordao added 10.
The third best three-point shooting team in the country hit seven first quarter 3’s and led by 13 at the end of the first quarter.
“We wanted to play as fast as we could and obviously shot the ball great in the first quarter,” Fennelly said. “The start was critical and managed a few bumps in the road in the second quarter.”
In the game they made a total of 17 3’s and shot 46% in the game. They held Kansas to just three 3-pointers and the Jayhawks shot 32%.
They led by as many as 28 in the game and never let up after jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first four minutes of the game.
“The last two games we were really good and had good defense,” Fennelly said. “The last 80 minutes have been really, really good.”
The Jayhawks (19-6, 10-5) were led in scoring by Chandler Prater with 17, Holly Kersgieter had 14 points and Ioanna Chatzileonti scored 11.
“I think we were not our best and they were terrific and they kicked our butt,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “We have consistently fought back as a team, but I didn’t think we did that tonight.”
The loss by Kansas ended a school record seven straight conference wins and their loss since losing to Iowa State in Ames.
“We have to refocus and do it as a team,” Schneider said. “They played small, but when they make 17 3’s you’re probably not going to beat them. Some of that is credit to them, but we’ve got to play better.”
Iowa State has won 15 straight against Kansas.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: They came out shooting hot and never gave up the lead. They showed there’s still a gap between these teams.
Kansas: The last time the Jayhawks lost to a team named Iowa State was Jan. 19 when they lost to Kansas State. They are still a good team, but a Big 12 regular season title feels out of reach now.
UP NEXT
Iowa State hosts Texas Tech on Saturday.
Kansas goes to No. 5 Baylor on Saturday.
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