Iowa State qualifies for Sweet 16 with win over Georgia

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Lexi Donarski scored 20 points and third-seeded Iowa State raced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2010 with a 67-44 win over sixth-seeded Georgia on Sunday night.

Emily Ryan had 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Cyclones (28-6), and Ashley Joens added 12 points.

Jenna Staiti led Georgia (21-10) with 16 points. The Bulldogs shot 31% from the floor and never had a lead.

Iowa State opened the game with an 11-0 run, capped by a jumper from Joens. Ryan, who made four of her first five shots, hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Cyclones a 17-7 advantage and a 3 from Joens pushed the margin to 21-7.

Georgia shot just 3 of 16 in the first quarter and 8 of 31 in the first half (26%). It also committed eight turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Iowa State finished with a 45-38 advantage on the boards despite Georgia's height advantage with the 6-foot-4 duo of Staiti and Jillian Hollingshead.

SWEET AGAIN

Iowa State will make its sixth Sweet 16 appearance, all under coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones' last Elite Eight appearance came in 2009, when they lost to Stanford 74-53. Iowa State's last Sweet 16 trip in 2010 resulted in a 74-36 loss to No. 1 Connecticut.

VICTORY MARK

Iowa State set a new school mark for wins in a season with their 28th victory Sunday. The Cyclones recorded 27 wins in 1999-00, 2000-01 and 2008-09.

SERIES HISTORY

Georgia entered Sunday with a 3-0 all-time record against the Cyclones, with all three games in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs won the last meeting, 65-60, in the second round of the 2013 tourney.

UP NEXT

Iowa State advanced to meet Creighton (22-9) in a Sweet 16 matchup on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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