Ashley Joens earns more honors as Iowa State’s Big 12 tournament quarterfinal swings into view

AMES — Nothing about Iowa State star Ashley Joens’s game surprises her head coach Bill Fennelly.

As expected, Joens — ISU’s all-time leading scorer — became the third Cyclone to attain unanimous first-team All-Big 12 honors Monday per the league’s coaches.

But what if the former Iowa City High standout hadn’t joined Stacy Frese and Bridget Carleton as ISU’s only unanimous first-team all-conference picks in program history?

Fennelly chuckled briefly at the thought of it.

“There would have been a discussion of some kind,” said Fennelly, who will guide the 10th-ranked Cyclones into Friday’s Big 12 women’s basketball tournament quarterfinal matchup at 5 p.m. against either West Virginia or TCU in Kansas City (ESPN+). “That would have been an interesting vote.”

Joens is averaging 20.3 points and 9.2 rebounds while delivering a career-high 2.2 assists per game to teammates. She’s also shooting 41.2 percent from the field, which is the fifth-best mark in the Big 12.

And if the 6-foot-1 senior is at her best in Kansas City, the second-seeded Cyclones are a legitimate threat to bring home their first tournament championship trophy since 2001.

That’s what Joens is focused on as what could be her final season in cardinal and gold winds down.

“You have the opportunity so you can’t really take it for granted just to be able to get to this point,” said Joens, who will decide after the season if she’ll take advantage of a so-called “COVID year” to return for a fifth season at ISU. “We’ve had a great season so far, but we have to really focus in and buy in to what the coaches are saying.”

So nothing’s changed for Joens, who will say the same thing about every game — whether it’s in early November or at critical junctures in March.

It’s all about the scouting report and turning the little things into big building blocks on and off the court.

“We just really have to buy in and go out there and play like it’s our last game,” Joens said.

Joens wasn’t the only Cyclone to earn first team All-Big 12 plaudits.

Sophomore guards Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan were also tabbed as first-team selections by the league’s coaches — giving ISU its most first-team picks in program history.

Donarski scooped up defensive player of the year honors, as well.

“It’s a credit to the success we’ve had all season,” Donarski said. “We wouldn’t get three people listed (as) first team All-Big 12 if we didn’t have the season that we’ve had this year.”

Ryan has twice set program standards for assists in a game. Her current top mark sits at 17 — and she’s also coming off a career-best scoring performance (29 points) in the Cyclones’ regular season-closing win at West Virginia.

“It’s just super fun being able to do this with the people that we love to be around,” Ryan said.

Same goes for Joens, who will play in front of a full crowd in Kansas City for the first time.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people that they’re coming down,” Joens said. “They always say ‘Hilton South’ and we’re excited to get to experience that because last year was a little different.”

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