| Des Moines Register
AMES, Ia. – Sunday’s game offered the Iowa state women’s basketball team a unique opportunity. With a victory over No. 1 in South Carolina, the state of Iowa could bring down a top-ranked team for the first time in the program’s history, possibly move up the ranks and prove to everyone that all the pre-season honors and praise granted to them were excellent they deserved.
Iowa State missed the chance, dropping to No. 1 South Carolina, 83-65 in a Big 12 / SEC Challenge contest at the Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. The Cyclones dropped to 2-2 this season and failed to get their first win over a qualified team, dropping to 0-8 of all time against the No. 1 teams in the ranking.
“South Carolina being ranked first is a great opportunity, but it is something where you can evaluate after the game, learn from what we have done and use it to improve,” said Iowa state guard / striker Ashley Joens. “We are going to see a lot of really good teams over the year … we just have to learn from that and keep playing.”
There were many valuable lessons learned by the Cyclones, who had no help from the Gamecocks. South Carolina struggled to fire three days earlier in a rare defeat that saw Gamecocks’ 29-game winning streak come to an end. But that was not a problem on Sunday, with South Carolina shooting 48% (30-to-63) from the field, including 50% (13-26) in the 3-point range. The strong kick was on display early on, when South Carolina hit four of the first five shots and built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Cyclones, who struggled to move on, found some rhythm and remained in play most of the afternoon with several races. A 6-0 run with Joens’ baskets reduced the lead to 16-15 in the first quarter. Joens hit a pair of 3 points in an 8-0 run to create a 50-40 lead in South Carolina in the third quarter. But the Gamecocks, who overtook Iowa State by 50-24, always had an answer and flew through the Cyclones at the end of the second half.
Here’s what we learned from Sunday’s game.
South Carolina is as good as advertised
Gamecocks, 2017 national champions, were favorites to win again last season, until the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the end of the season. They are already being singled out as a favorite this season. Despite the recent setback this month, there is no reason to believe that they will not be in the conversation at the end of the season. South Carolina had few problems with the state of Iowa, a qualified team and a cast chosen to finish third at the Big 12 Conference. Gamecocks looked like a national competitor with quick passes, soft kicks and the ability to survive any Cyclone race.
“They were stuck and ready to roll,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “I was very proud of our team for responding that way.”
South Carolina may be the best team in the country, but Ashley Joens was the best player on the field
Joens is probably the biggest reason why there is so much hope for Cyclones this season. Junior was last year’s top scorer at the Big 12 Conference and could be again this season. Joens has had a season full of statistics so far and Saturday was no different. Joens was the most consistent player (again) for Iowa State, accumulating 32 points and five rebounds. Joens pitched 11 of 22 from the field and was perfect on the free throw line (8 of 8). He continued a series of 31 direct brands from the charity band.
“I would say that if there is a better player in the country, someone better call and tell me,” said Iowa state coach Bill Fennelly.
Shooting, especially 3 points, was a struggle
Iowa’s biggest problem was itself. The Cyclones, outside of Joens, struggled to shoot most of the day. Iowa State ended the game by throwing only 37% (23-62) of the field. Worse yet, the state of Iowa had only 5 of 27 out of a 3-point streak, including a 1-11 performance in the first half. Many of these faults were open and indisputable looks. Cyclones could crawl out of holes, but not fast enough, and their firing from beyond the arc was a big reason. Iowa State kicked just 1 in 11 past the hoop in the first half, with the lone mark coming from Kristin Scott. It may remain a problem for the state of Iowa, with sniper Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw still marginalized. The injury should keep her out until at least Christmas and possibly more.
“Basketball is a game of shooting and error, and when they shoot like that and we shoot as if we were shooting, we have no chance,” said Fennelly.
Tommy Birch, a sports reporter and journalist at the Register, has been with the newspaper since 2008. He is the 2018 sports writer of the year in Iowa. Contact him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.