The Iowa State women’s basketball team will try to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen this evening as the Cyclones take on Ball State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Cyclones advanced to the second round of the tournament for the eight time in ten appearances after rolling past East Tennessee State in Sunday night’s opening round.
ISU coach Bill Fennelly says they’ve been blessed with a lot of good players and coaches and people that love playing at Iowa State and playing hard. Fennelly says he told the team they have to play with heart.
The Cyclones equaled an NCAA Tournament record with 16 three pointers in Sunday’s win, six of those came from guard Allison Lacey who finished with a team high 18 points. He says Lacey could be one of the best guards in the country. Fennelly says playing guard for his team can be one of the best and one of the worst positions in the country. He says when Lacey shoots like she’s been shooting, the team is different.
Fennelly says Lacey is also a very good defender as she is long, athletic, smart and competitive. He says she started out behind after being hurt early. The Cyclones are 25-8 and take on a 26-8 Ball State team that blew out two-time defending national champion Tennessee in the opening round.