Texas (12-3, 2-2) holds a slight 21-20 series advantage against Iowa State (16-1, 5-0) after winning all 3 meetings last season and 7 of the last 10. The Big 12 1st place Cyclones are off to the best start in program history and their highest ranking since January 2002.
Iowa State ranks 2nd in the Big 12 and 12th nationally at 81.2 points per game, 2nd in the nation in 3-pters made per game at 10.9. Senior G/F Ashley Joens (6' 1") is one of the top 3 players in the Big 12, averaging 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Last season the Cyclones relied heavily on their freshmen class and it's paying off in a big way this season. Sophomore PG Emily Ryan (5' 11") ranks #2 nationally with 120 assists (7.1 per game) and sophomore G Lexi Donarski (6') is 2nd on the team in scoring at 15.6 and averages 2.9 made 3s per game. Ashley Joens' little sister, sophomore G Aubrey (5' 8"), is shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc (46/97) on the season. Iowa State starts a relatively small 4 guard/1 forward lineup (junior Morgan Kane - 6' 3") and has 4 6'2"-6'4" forwards to bring off the bench. Their lone loss had to seem like deja vu all over again - a December 2nd 69-60 loss to Kim Mulkey's LSU team.
UT currently ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 39 in the NCAA holding opponents to just 56.2 points per game. They also lead the league and rank No. 6 nationally in turnovers forced at 24.1 per contest. PG Rori Harmon was named Big12 Freshman of the Week for the 3rd time this season, after averaging 9.5 points, 5 assists, 5 steals and 9 rebounds in the 2 games last week. She took a hard fall late against West Virginia but should be available for tonight's game in Ames. The Longhorns' leading scorer (15.9 ppg), junior G Aliyah Matharu, got into the starting lineup against WVU and racked up 26 points (8/16, 2/8 from 3, 8/11 FT) by taking the ball to the basket aggressively and getting to the FT line. Senior G/F Audrey Warren was not in the starting lineup for the 1st time this season but provided a spark off the bench with 17 points and 4 rebounds.
In the win against WVU, Texas finally ended a bad 3-game stretch in the turnover column committing 14 against the Mountaineers compared to the 22 and 23 against Tech and Kansas in losses. That's still obviously higher than Vic Schaefer wants and the Longhorns will need to keep that going against Iowa State in what will definitely be a loud, hostile environment. The Cyclones have butts in seats with an average home attendance of 9,000 but I'd expect that tonight's number might approach the 11,350 for the in-state rivalry game against Iowa on December 8th. Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly has a system that fits to his players' strengths - fundamentally sound on offense while taking (and usually making 3s) and not afraid to play 'junk' zone defenses to offset their comparative lack of athleticism against a lot of opponents. Texas has struggled against the zone a bit this season (and in seasons past) so they'll need to keep the ball moving and not let the shot clock force them into bad attempts. Vic needs to come up with a plan to make Ashley Joens really work for her points. Tech's Vivian Gray is a poor man's Ashley Joens and she was able to record 23 points and 7 rebounds in the victory over Texas.
Road wins in Ames are tough to come by and the Longhorns need tonight's game to avoid dropping to 2-3 in conference play. They currently sit in 4th place (t-Kansas) but a victory tonight would go along way to getting them back into the fray.
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @BlakeSkaggs
Iowa State ranks 2nd in the Big 12 and 12th nationally at 81.2 points per game, 2nd in the nation in 3-pters made per game at 10.9. Senior G/F Ashley Joens (6' 1") is one of the top 3 players in the Big 12, averaging 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Last season the Cyclones relied heavily on their freshmen class and it's paying off in a big way this season. Sophomore PG Emily Ryan (5' 11") ranks #2 nationally with 120 assists (7.1 per game) and sophomore G Lexi Donarski (6') is 2nd on the team in scoring at 15.6 and averages 2.9 made 3s per game. Ashley Joens' little sister, sophomore G Aubrey (5' 8"), is shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc (46/97) on the season. Iowa State starts a relatively small 4 guard/1 forward lineup (junior Morgan Kane - 6' 3") and has 4 6'2"-6'4" forwards to bring off the bench. Their lone loss had to seem like deja vu all over again - a December 2nd 69-60 loss to Kim Mulkey's LSU team.
UT currently ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 39 in the NCAA holding opponents to just 56.2 points per game. They also lead the league and rank No. 6 nationally in turnovers forced at 24.1 per contest. PG Rori Harmon was named Big12 Freshman of the Week for the 3rd time this season, after averaging 9.5 points, 5 assists, 5 steals and 9 rebounds in the 2 games last week. She took a hard fall late against West Virginia but should be available for tonight's game in Ames. The Longhorns' leading scorer (15.9 ppg), junior G Aliyah Matharu, got into the starting lineup against WVU and racked up 26 points (8/16, 2/8 from 3, 8/11 FT) by taking the ball to the basket aggressively and getting to the FT line. Senior G/F Audrey Warren was not in the starting lineup for the 1st time this season but provided a spark off the bench with 17 points and 4 rebounds.
In the win against WVU, Texas finally ended a bad 3-game stretch in the turnover column committing 14 against the Mountaineers compared to the 22 and 23 against Tech and Kansas in losses. That's still obviously higher than Vic Schaefer wants and the Longhorns will need to keep that going against Iowa State in what will definitely be a loud, hostile environment. The Cyclones have butts in seats with an average home attendance of 9,000 but I'd expect that tonight's number might approach the 11,350 for the in-state rivalry game against Iowa on December 8th. Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly has a system that fits to his players' strengths - fundamentally sound on offense while taking (and usually making 3s) and not afraid to play 'junk' zone defenses to offset their comparative lack of athleticism against a lot of opponents. Texas has struggled against the zone a bit this season (and in seasons past) so they'll need to keep the ball moving and not let the shot clock force them into bad attempts. Vic needs to come up with a plan to make Ashley Joens really work for her points. Tech's Vivian Gray is a poor man's Ashley Joens and she was able to record 23 points and 7 rebounds in the victory over Texas.
Road wins in Ames are tough to come by and the Longhorns need tonight's game to avoid dropping to 2-3 in conference play. They currently sit in 4th place (t-Kansas) but a victory tonight would go along way to getting them back into the fray.
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @BlakeSkaggs
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