AMES, Iowa – Ashley Joens and Inès Nezerwa combined for 45 points on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum to help lead Iowa State (5-1) past New Orleans (2-5), 71-53. Joens scored a game-high 24 points, while Nezerwa, a senior, poured in a career-high 21 on 8-of-11 from the field to lead Iowa State win its fourth straight.

How It Happened
The Cyclones set a blistering pace to open the game, jumping out to a 9-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest. Nezerwa helped key the fast start, scoring a game-high 10 first-quarter points in her fourth start of the season, including a pair of early buckets inside to force a New Orleans timeout just 2:37 into the game. The Privateers righted the ship late in the quarter to close the gap to 22-15 after 10 minutes of play.

Iowa State’s defense turned up the pressure in the second quarter with a suffocating effort. The Cyclones held New Orleans to just 3-of-12 shooting from the field and forced six turnovers in the second stanza. Iowa State extended its lead to 42-23 at halftime, led by 14 from Nezerwa and 12 from Joens.

The Cyclone offense cooled off from the field in the third quarter, connecting on just 4-of-12 attempts, including 1-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line. However, Iowa State earned 10 free throw attempts in the stanza to supplement the scoring and held a 57-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Iowa State would outscore UNO 14-12 in the final quarter, including six from Joens, to cruise to a 71-53 victory.

Players of Note
Ashley Joens put up her fifth 20-point game in six outings this season, finishing with a team-high 24 points, and tied a season-high with five steals on the afternoon. She also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds on the afternoon.

Inès Nezerwa went for double figures for the second time in as many games, scoring a career-high 21 points, 14 of which came in the first half. The senior eclipsed her previous career-high (18) in the third quarter and also chipped in four rebounds, four blocks and three steals in 26 minutes of action.

Rae Johnson chipped in 12 points on a tidy 4-of-7 shooting performance, with all of her field goal attempts coming from 3-point territory.

Up Next
Iowa State hits the road to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.