Poppen, ISU’s size inside just way too much for Northern Iowa

AMES - In a span of one minute and 30 seconds, Iowa State's forward Chelsea Poppens recorded an assist, scored a putback basket and took a charge.

“Amazing,” Cyclone Coach Bill Fennelly said.

And Poppens' right knee was encased in a soft, wrapped brace.

So the Cyclones' toughest player simply kept shrugging off the effects of an MCL strain Tuesday night against Northern Iowa, producing a point per minute in a dominant 84-57 win before 7,822 fans at Hilton Coliseum.

“Every time we see (football coach Paul) Rhoads, he jokes he wants her on special teams,” said Fennelly, whose team had a 46-30 halftime lead. “She's as tough a kid as we've had here.”

Poppens' line: 20 minutes. 20 points. 14 rebounds. Four assists. The 6-2 junior from Aplington played at what Fennelly pegged as 75 percent.

She suffered the strained ligament in her right leg during the Dec. 7 win over Iowa and sat out the Dec. 11 rout of Mississippi Valley State.

“I kind of think I forgot about it,” Poppens said of the injury.

It's hard to forget this performance. By halftime, she'd recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while bracing for two charges.

“I was kind of eager to get back into it since I missed last game,” Poppens said. “I just wanted to get out there and play my best.”

That starts with hustle. Poppens hit the floor several times, diving for loose balls and tying up possessions.

“That's what Chelsea does,” said ISU point guard Nikki Moody, who scored 15 points and notched five of her team's 23 assists.

The Cyclones (7-2) shot 51 percent, including a season best 44 percent from 3-point range.

Moody drained three shots from beyond the arc, Lauren Mansfield and Brynn Williamson added two apiece and Anna Prins sank one.

“We really simplified our offense and ran a lot less plays,” Fennelly said. “We worked hard to get the ball. Our angles were much better.”

Rachel Madrigal led UNI with 12 points and K.K. Armstrong and Jess McDowell chipped in with 11 apiece.

The Panthers (7-4) fell for the ninth straight time in the series and struggled to contend with ISU's size up front.

The Cyclones grabbed 48 rebounds to UNI's 20 and built a 44-12 edge in points in the paint.

“They just literally manhandled us,” Coach Tanya Warren said.

[gallery columns="2"]