Freshman Tjaša Turnšek gave Iowa State exactly the kind of inside presence that can tilt a game in a hurry.
Turnšek put together her first career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, powering the Cyclones to a 68-44 win over Nicholls on Thursday inside Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State moved to 2-0, while Nicholls fell to 1-1.
Turnšek was efficient, going 6-for-13 from the field, and she set the tone right away. She opened the scoring for Iowa State with a three-point play on a floater in the paint, and she and frontcourt partner Xiao Zhang helped draw early fouls that put the Cyclones in the bonus within the first two minutes. Iowa State couldn’t fully cash in on that early advantage, but it still finished the first quarter with an 18-13 lead after Mya Babbitt hit the team’s first 3-pointer with 1:22 left.
Sienna Harvey then took over in the second quarter. She sparked a 7-0 run midway through the period, highlighted by her first 3-pointer of the season after an offensive rebound from Ashleigh Connor, and Iowa State pushed the margin to 31-18. Harvey finished the first half with 11 points, and the Cyclones went to the break up 36-23.
Nicholls made a push in the third, cutting the deficit to eight with seven minutes left, but Iowa State answered after a scoreless stretch with Connor’s 3-pointer at the 6:46 mark. Turnšek kept controlling the paint at both ends as the Cyclones stretched the lead to 50-32 by the end of the quarter.
Babbitt helped close the door in the fourth, knocking down two 3-pointers early in the period to push the lead to 21 points with seven minutes remaining. She finished with 11 points, while Harvey added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
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The good news for the Cyclones is that the next stretch gives them a chance to sort through lineup combinations at home, where Otzelberger can keep evaluating roles and tightening the defense. He made clear after the opener that improvement on that end is the priority, and for a team that expects to defend at a high level, the early concern is less about one loss than about how quickly the pieces start to fit. [Read more 🡒]