AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team unofficially opened the season with an exhibition game over Division III in-state challenge Central College at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday night.
Officially, it couldn’t have gone much better for the Cyclones.
Ninth-ranked Iowa State dominated Central from start to finish and rolled to an easy 105-53 victory over the Dutch. Audi Crooks scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Cyclones.
All 11 active players for Iowa State scored in the game. The Cyclones, who tinkered with rotations and lineups throughout the evening, never missed a beat with whoever was on the floor. Iowa State opened the game with an 8-0 run and rolled from there.
The Cyclones shot 59% (13-for-22) from the field and never slowed down. Freshman Reagan Wilson, who finished with nine points, knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter buzzer to give Iowa State a 55-20 lead at halftime.
It was exactly what fans were hoping to see from an Iowa State team that brings back the bulk of its roster from a squad that went to the Big 12 Tournament title game and was a win away from reaching the Sweet 16 last season.
This Iowa State team is expected to do even bigger things. The Cyclones were a preseason top-10 team in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports Network Coaches Poll.
They certainly looked the part of a successful team Wednesday night. Alisa Williams, who sat out last season after transferring to Iowa State from LSU, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The season gets going for real on Monday when the Cyclones host Chicago State at Hilton Coliseum at 11 a.m.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
