Iowa State women’s basketball forward Stephanie Soares will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in her left knee, the program announced. Here’s what you need to know:
- Soares suffered the injury early in Sunday’s game against Oklahoma.
- The Brazil native joined Iowa State this summer after four years at The Master’s University at the NAIA level.
- Soares is averaging 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 blocks through 13 games in Ames.
- Iowa State (10-3) ranks No. 15 in the nation.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What Soares’ injury means for Cyclones
Iowa State had the fourth-ranked offense in the country last season, per Her Hoop Stats, and brought back the bulk of that team to improve upon last year’s Sweet 16 finish; seven of the top eight Cyclones in minutes from 2021-22 returned, including Ashley Joens, a preseason All-American. What Iowa State needed was some defensive reinforcements, and the program found that in the form of Soares, a 6-foot-6 center who transferred after playing four years in the NAIA.
With a dominant interior presence, the Cyclones have limited opponents to shooting 50 percent at the rim and taking only 23.1 percent of their shots there. The team’s defense is nearly 15 points per 100 possessions better with Soares on the court,…
