The University of Toledo women’s basketball team finally got a glimpse of Iowa State.
Coaches stayed up until the wee hours Monday morning dissecting film and putting together the scouting report. What they saw was a 6-foot-1 guard/forward who’s averaged more than 20 points the last four seasons and became just the 14th player in Division I history to score 3,000 career points.
“Ashley Joens is a phenomenal player,” Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said. “She’s what I would consider a point forward. She can grab a rebound and go coast to coast. She can shoot the 3 just like the rest of the team, but she can also put the ball on the floor. She reminds me of a cross between [Jocelyn] Tate at BG and Sammi [Mikonowicz]. But she shoots it like a guard. She’s going to be a really tough matchup.”
Joens had 80 points and 33 rebounds in three games at the Big 12 tournament, earning most outstanding player honors. The two-time winner of the Cheryl Miller Award, which goes to the nation’s best small forward, is ninth in the country in scoring (21.5 points per game) and 33rd in rebounding (9.6).
“We’re not going into this tournament scared of anyone,” Toledo guard Jayda Jansen said. “We’re fighting for our lives just like everybody else. We’re all in the same position, honestly. We just have to lock in, focus on what we do, and know our scout well. That’s how we’re moving forward.”
Iowa State (22-9) won the Big 12 tournament last weekend, knocking off No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed Oklahoma on back-to-back days. The Cyclones lost three consecutive games in February during a stretch of five losses in eight games. The swoon came soon after losing 6-foot-6 center Stephanie Soares (14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.0 blocks) to a season-ending knee injury.
■ Matchup: No. 12 seed Toledo vs. No. 5 seed Iowa State,
■ When: Saturday, 30 minutes after conclusion of 1 p.m. game (approximately 3:30 p.m.).
■ Where: Knoxville, Tenn.
■ TV: ESPN2.
They enter the tournament having won five of six games, ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25, and with the 14th-best odds to win the national championship.
“Very skilled, very talented, and very good shooters” is how Cullop described Iowa State, which went 13-7 against NCAA tournament teams. The matchup might be daunting but no more so than traveling to Michigan and playing the ranked Wolverines in their own arena.
In the past two seasons, Toledo has played Duke, Michigan, Penn State, Cincinnati, and Seton Hall. The Rockets are 2-3 in those five games, with one loss by a single point (Penn State) and another in overtime (Seton Hall). The win at Michigan was UT’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 2009.
“Playing those big teams got us prepared for what’s about to happen now,” Mid-American Conference player of the year Quinesha Lockett said. “We were never scared. There was never a doubt in our minds about what we could do as a team, especially how we’ve been playing lately. Playing Michigan really got us ready, like, OK, there’s not a team we can’t compete against.”
The Rockets (28-4) play at a faster pace than Iowa State, which doesn’t pressure the ball often. But the Cyclones are big at every position. Their starting lineup height is 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, 5-11, 5-11.
Opponents are scoring 64.1 points per game, shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from 3-point range.
“I’m ready to see how I’m going to play and how they’re going to defend me,” said Lockett, who’s averaging 17.7 points. “This is something you dream of as a little girl, playing in the NCAA tournament and succeeding. It’s going to be really exciting.”
Be careful what you wish for. Iowa State’s Lexi Donarski, a member of the All-Big 12 defensive team, is one of the top defenders in the country. Players she guards are averaging 13.2 points entering the game, and she’s allowing just 7.5 points.
Donarski has held her guarding assignment to single digits in 21 of 30 games. She’s pitched three shutouts and in three other games she only gave up two points.
But Toledo isn’t running scared and it doesn’t plan on playing with a sense of fright or intimidation. Iowa State is bigger, more talented — and beatable.
A 12-seed has defeated a 5-seed at least once in seven of the past 10 tournaments. The Rockets don’t see any reason why they can’t make it eight of 11.
“We’re not satisfied,” Jansen said. “We’re going in to win as much as we can. Being there is cool, but we want to win. We’re not going to lose our competitive edge.”
First Published March 15, 2023, 1:22 p.m.
