Iowa State opened its regular season in dominant fashion, riding an explosive first-half attack and relentless rebounding to overwhelm Grambling 90-61 before a crowd of 8,802 at Hilton Coliseum on Monday night.
Iowa State set the tone right out of the gate, igniting a 27-12 first-quarter run behind rapid ball movement and physical play in the paint. The Cyclones blew the game open in the second period, outscoring the Tigers 26-11 to carry a commanding 53-23 lead into halftime. During that dominant
opening 20 minutes, Iowa State outscored Grambling 22-8 in the paint, converted turnovers into 11 points, and received 32 points from the bench.
Forward Tjaša Turnšek led the Cyclones’ frontcourt charge, pouring in a team-high 19 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting performance while adding four rebounds and two blocks in 24 minutes of action. Center Xiao Zhang provided maximum efficiency in limited minutes, posting 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and two blocks across just 13 minutes. Turnšek and Zhang anchor a frontcourt effort that fueled Iowa State’s 46-20 scoring advantage inside the key.
The Cyclones’ depth proved overwhelming, as Iowa State’s bench outscored Grambling’s reserves 49-34 on the night. Mya Babbitt delivered high-powered perimeter shooting off the bench, knocking down five 3-pointers on eight attempts to finish with 17 points and seven defensive rebounds while registering a game-high +27 plus/minus. Forward Gift Ezekiel was equally impressive in reserve, finishing a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor to add 13 points, two rebounds and a block.
Guard Sienna Harvey directed the offensive flow seamlessly, dishing out a game-high nine assists while pulling down four rebounds and sharing the team-best +27 mark. Iowa State asserted total glass control throughout the evening, finishing with a massive 61-34 rebounding margin—including 46 defensive boards. Though Grambling edged Iowa State 20-19 in the third quarter behind 15 points from Princess Anderson, the Cyclones held the Tigers to 29.2% shooting overall from the field to lock down the victory.
