Iowa State women's basketball matches best start in school history with win over Oklahoma State
AMES — The end of the season will ultimately decide just how successful of a season this has been for the Cyclones women’s basketball team. But the start of the season has already assured this team a spot in program history.
Tenth-ranked Iowa State matched the best start in school history with a 76-58 victory over Oklahoma State at Hilton Coliseum Saturday. The Cyclones improved to 20-3 on the season and 9-2 in Big 12 Conference play.
It’s only the second time in program history that Iowa State has reached 20 wins in its first 23 games and it's the first time since the 2000-01 season. More history could be on the way for Iowa State, which is right in the hunt for a Big 12 regular season title.
The Cyclones, who have won four straight games, sit atop the conference standings along with Oklahoma. Just seven regular season games remain on the schedule for the Cyclones, who are searching for their first regular season title since 2000.
Previously: Iowa State women's basketball remains atop Big 12 standings with win over Kansas State
Saturday's game showed just how promising this season could be for the Cyclones. Their dynamic offense was firing on all cylinders against Oklahoma State. Four different players scored in double figures. Emily Ryan finished with a team-high 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Lexi Donarski added 17 points.
Ryan was perfect from 3-point range, hitting all six of her attempts. It marked just the ninth time in school history that an Iowa State player was perfect from 3-point range with six or more attempts.
More: How Iowa State basketball great Angie Welle feels about Ashley Joens chasing her scoring record
Iowa State had no trouble rolling to its latest win. The Cyclones used a strong start in the first quarter to put Oklahoma State into an early deficit it could never recover from. During the dominating first quarter, Iowa State shot 85% (11-for-13) from the field. Ashley Joens had all six points in a 6-0 run.
Iowa State led 28-13 at the end of the first and 42-28 at halftime. It never got closer.
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: Iowa State women's basketball makes history with Oklahoma State win