It was Ashley Joens’ night as the No. 15 Iowa State Cyclones upset No. 12 Iowa 77-70 for a big rivalry win.
You can't stop her. #KeepingUpWithJoens |#CherylMillerAward
— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) December 9, 2021
🌪️🏀🌪️ pic.twitter.com/SjSEPKPaLu
Joens was all over the court, dropping 26 points alongside 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the way for the Cyclones. Sister Aubrey Joens had 12 points and 11 rebounds. It’s the second game in a row that the sisters both finished with double-doubles. Lexi Donarski was the only other Cyclone to score in double digits with 16 points.
It’s the Cyclones’ first win against the Hawkeyes since 2015, snapping a five-game losing streak.
“This was definitely one thing we wanted to accomplish,” Ashley Joens said after the gaem. “Iowa isn’t going to go away. It was one of those big games where they weren’t going to stop fighting. You just have to keep going.”
Iowa star sophomore Caitlin Clark was far from silent, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds. While forward Monika Czinano contributed 13 points, it wasn’t enough to power the Hawkeyes past the Cyclones for the sixth-straight time.
The night didn’t come without some frustrations for Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder.
“When you don’t shoot free throws, it’s hard to win a game,” Bluder said after the game. “We only shoot six. They shoot 22. I felt like we should’ve been shooting a lot more.
“When you give up 16 (more) free throws to a really good basketball team, it’s hard to win.”
Iowa has a big break coming up, with their next game coming against Central Florida on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Iowa State will play Northern Iowa on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.