AMES, Iowa (AP) — Kelsey Bolte made all six of her 3-point shots in scoring 25 points and No. 20 Iowa State pulled away in the second half to beat Western Illinois 58-32 on Saturday night.
Leading by only one late in the first half and just 31-26 at the break, the Cyclones began the second half with a 26-4 burst to take control in the season opener.
Bolte, the team’s only senior, shot 8-for-10 overall and fell one point shy of her career high. Chelsea Poppens added nine points and eight rebounds for the Cyclones, while freshman Hallie Christofferson scored eight, all in the first 6:09 of the second half.
Any chance Western Illinois had of keeping it close vanished when the Leathernecks missed 16 of their first 17 shots in the second half. They went 14:14 without scoring while Iowa State capped its big outburst with 18 straight points.
Valencia Kelly’s 11 points led Western Illinois.
