5 stats from Iowa State women's basketball exhibition with Upper Iowa
· Yahoo Sports
AMES – Iowa State women's basketball fans got a first look at an almost entirely new team during an exhibition with Upper Iowa on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
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They had to like what they saw as the Cyclones dominated their Division II opponent, 90-32, at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State trotted out 10 new players during the game, with most of them making a quick impact during the lopsided first quarter.
Iowa State opened the game with a 15-0 run and its defense didn’t allow a basket for over four minutes to start the game.
Four different players scored in double figures for Iowa State, with Tjasa Turksek leading the way with 16 points.
There was plenty to take away from the Cyclones' performance ahead of their Nov. 2 season opener against Grambling State.
Here are five numbers that stood out from the exhibition.
2…as in made field goals in the first quarter for Upper Iowa
Iowa State exerted its physical dominance over the lower-level opponent. Upper Iowa shot just 2-for-11 from the field in the first quarter and fell into a 27-4 hole. The Cyclones have put an emphasis on defense in the offseason and it showed. Simply getting a shot was difficult for Upper Iowa and it managed just four attempts in the first five-plus minutes.
4…as in new starters for the Cyclones
With nine players entering the transfer portal in the offseason, the Cyclones roster underwent a massive makeover. Just three players returned from last season’s team and only two of them had starting experience. So, some reshuffling was inevitable.
On Wednesday, the Cyclones started Sienna Harvey, Ashleigh Connor, Tjasa Turksek, Xaio Zhang and Arianna Jackson, the only previous starter of that group for the Cyclones.
7...as in assists for the Iowa State point guards
Iowa State had four players primarily playing the point guard spot. Connor and Harvey got the bulk of the minutes, and Jackson saw some time there too. Iowa State freshman Macy Comito, a Carlisle native, also got her time to shine in the third quarter.
All four brought something to the table. Connor finished with five points, one assist and one turnover. Harvey had 12 points, four assists and one turnover. Comito added two assists and two turnovers.
11…as in players that got on the court in the first quarter
With so many newcomers, the Cyclones spent most of the evening mixing and matching lineups trying to get playing time for everyone. The Cyclones rolled out 10 players in the first quarter alone.
Gift Ezekiel was first off the bench, followed by Mya Babbitt, Evangelia Paulk and Alex-Anne Bessette. Freya Jensen and Emilija Dakic also got some important playing time early on. By the end of the evening, all 13 players on Iowa State's roster got in the game.
16…as in points for Iowa State newcomer Tjasa Turksek
Tursek, a 6-foot-3 freshman forward from Slovenia, was one of the more impressive newcomers. She scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
While Tursek won't always have the mismatch advantage she had on Wednesday night, she'll certainly provide plenty of problems for opposing teams throughout the season. She was athletic around the basket, hitting 6-of-12 shots from the field.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 stats from Iowa State women's basketball exhibition with Upper Iowa