If we see the Ashley Joens we saw on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament, watch out for the Iowa State Cyclones.
Joens went off for 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Cyclones past the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns 61-51 in the Big 12 Tournament championship game at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. She made it to 3,000 career points in the tournament’s semifinals.
ESPN’s Charlie Creme doesn’t think Iowa State will move into host territory with the win (he has the team as a No. 5 seed), but it was still huge for the program as it brings the first Big 12 Tournament title since 2001 and provides momentum heading into the Big Dance.
Joens backed down on a double team and at 6:53 remaining made a scoop shot high off backboard that hung on front rim before going in and making it 51-41 Cyclones. That happened in the middle of a 9-0 run that brought the score to 56-41 with 5:10 remaining. Emily Ryan provided the exclamation mark of the stretch with a triple to close it out. Iowa State led by double digits the rest of the way.
Joens had the ball in her hands with the shot clock off at the end of the third quarter and with time winding down dished it to Nyamer Diew on the right wing for a three that made it 47-39 entering the fourth. That Iowa State…
