Joens, Donarski lead No. 15 Iowa State women past Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, and No. 15 Iowa State used a strong finish to beat Texas Tech 81-58 in a Big 12 Conference opener Saturday.

The Cyclones came into the game following a 13-day layoff after beating No. 25 Villanova, 74-62. Their Dec. 22 game with Drake was cancelled because of an Iowa blizzard.

Bryn Gerlich hit a jumper to pull the Raiders within seven, 61-54, but Ashley Joens converted a five-point play for the Cyclones with 5:55 left, scoring at the basket and drawing a common foul and technical foul from Bre’Amber Scott. She knocked down all three free throws to give Iowa State a 66-54 lead and sparking an 18-4 finish to close out the game.

Emily Ryan was 6-for-6 from the line and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Stephanie Soares, a 6-foot-6 senior transfer from NAIA member The Master’s University, blocked four shots and finished with 14 points and a Division I-career-high 16 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.

The Cyclones shot 26 of 58 from the field (44.8%), but struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting just 4 of 26 (15.4%). Iowa State entered the game shooting 33.4% from distance.

Scott led Texas Tech (12-2, 0-1) with 18 points and grabbed five rebounds. Jazmaine Lewis came off the bench to add 13 points and grab six rebounds.

Iowa State’s fifth-year senior post Beatriz Jordao announced that she is medically retiring from basketball after dealing with a chronic leg injury.

UP NEXT

Iowa State returns home to play host to West Virginia Wednesday.

Texas Tech, which had its 11-game win streak snapped, plays at No. 22 Kansas Wednesday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25