The shorthanded Iowa State Cyclones enter Saturday’s nationally televised Big 12 game with a 3-5 record. They have lost four of their past five games since losing the striker Addie Brown causing injury. None of that mattered to the lowly Arizona Wildcats, who fell 90-65 in Ames, Iowa, to a team that trailed by 24 points at halftime.
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It was the most points Arizona has allowed all season. Arizona State Women’s Basketball Head Coach Becky Burke Satisfied with the preparation and the players’ attempts to execute the game plan.
“The game plan was never an issue,” Burke said. “Their effort, it’s never been an issue. We’ve got to make some efforts. We’ve got to be a little better in some areas that are difficult for us right now.”
Whatever the game plan is, it involves significant changes to Arizona’s lineup. Burke starts rookie linebacker Molly Ladwig She played for the third time this season and played a career-high 29 minutes. Ladwig last started on Nov. 25 against Northern Colorado and never played more than 17 minutes. She averaged only 7.7 minutes per game.
Burke plays guard Tanuel Welch It only takes 14 minutes. Welch leads the Wildcats in rebounding, is second in scoring among healthy players and third overall. Welch’s final possession of the game was an offensive rebound, but she tried to get it back.
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Rookie forward Dania Trammell She sat on the bench until the final minutes when her teammates started fouling out.
Arizona’s starting lineup is Welch, Ladwig, Lani Kornfield, Sumaya Sujapongand Nora Francois. Camryn’s Kitchen He contributed 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in 31 minutes off the bench. Acol Maggot and Blessings “Ade” Adebanjo There were still a few minutes left inside. Jordan Jurado Also made a brief appearance late in the game.
“They had an area where, like I said, we were one-dimensional for certain players,” Burke said. “We have kids who can shoot, but if they’re in man-to-man coverage, they’re not as effective. And then we also have kids who can beat you on the bounce, but if they’re in the zone, those kids aren’t as effective. So it’s really the flow of the game and the other team’s defensive look, and they mix it up. I just felt like Molly and Cam were more comfortable in this one.”
Arizona didn’t play team basketball and didn’t play a sound defense. The Wildcats committed 11 turnovers in the first half and only dished out three assists. The Cyclones turned those losses into 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
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Things didn’t get much better for the Wildcats. They finished the game with eight assists on 25 shots. Although Iowa State cut its turnovers to four in the second half, they scored 23 points on 15 turnovers.
Cornfield ranks second in the Big 12 in assists per game. She’s just one-tenth behind the former Wildcat and current Cyclone Jada Williamswho leads the league in statistics. Williams’ seven assists nearly equaled her average for the game. Kornfield’s assists are more than five points behind her, with two.
Fouls plagued both teams, especially the Wildcats. Kornfield committed three fouls in the first half. Maggot had four. ISU star audi liar She was one of three Cyclones foul picks at halftime, picking up her fourth foul on an offensive foul at the start of the fourth quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter, four Wildcats had scored four points, and Francois made it to the fifth with less than a minute left in the final quarter.
Then comes disqualification. Arizona had five players fouled starting with Ladwig 7:34 into the fourth quarter. Next up was Kitchin, who left the game with an offensive foul with 4:08 left. Maggot started at 3:54, followed by Francois with 3:47 remaining. Kornfield finally arrived with 3:07 left in the game.
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Trammell made his debut when Kornfield was disqualified. She was the last available player on the bench, so when Welch went down in excruciating pain with 2:40 left in the game, Arizona finished the game with just four players on the court. Welch’s cries could be clearly heard on the broadcast as she was lifted off the floor by Arizona’s training staff.
Kornfield leads the Wildcats in scoring. She made 8 of 14 field goals and 3 of 4 free throws to score 19 points. She contributed 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.
Williams tied Kornfield’s 19 points for the game-high, but her game statistics were much more comprehensive than her opponent’s. The former Arizona State product added four rebounds, seven assists and one steal. She turned the ball over seven times.
While ISU had five players score in double figures, only Sugapong (13 points) and Ladwig (10 points) joined Cornfield to play for Arizona. Sugabon played 39 minutes and contributed 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. She joined Welch as the only Arizona starters to not foul out. Ladwig contributed 1 assist and 2 steals while scoring in 29 minutes of playing time. She joined Welch as Arizona’s only starters without a turnover.
The Wildcats will continue their next game on the road, but closer to home. They will travel to Tempe to face Arizona State on Wednesday, January 28th.