AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State women’s basketball team opens regular season play Friday night when it hosts Houston Baptist at Hilton Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Who: Iowa State vs. Houston Baptist
Where: Ames, Iowa – Hilton Coliseum
When: Friday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m.
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: Rich Fellingham (PxP), Molly Parrott (Color)
TV: None
Webcast: Clone Zone
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at cyclones.com.
Live Blog: Matt Shoultz, assistant director of athletics communications, will be holding a live blog during the game at cyclones.com. Fans are encouraged to participate in the blog by asking questions.

Cyclone Notebook
– Iowa State opens its 39th season of play Friday evening when it hosts Houston Baptist at Hilton Coliseum at 7 p.m.
– The Cyclones will drop their 2010-11 NCAA Tournament banner prior to the game.
– Iowa State has won 16-straight season openers dating back to head coach Bill Fennelly’s first season in Ames. ISU is 30-8 all-time in season openers. During the Fennelly era, the Cyclones have won their opening game by an average of 25.1 points.
– Iowa State has an all-time record of 591-513 (.535), including 354-160 (.689) under the direction of Fennelly.
– The Cyclones won exhibition contests against Coe College and Rockhurst by an average of 52 points per game. The Cyclones shot 46.9 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from 3-point range.
– Junior forward Chelsea Poppens led the Cyclones averaging 15.5 points in the two exhibition games. Hallie Christofferson (11.5), Anna Prins (11.0) and Kelsey Harris (10.0) were also in double figures.
– Iowa State’s returning players have combined to start 190 career games. The junior class is led by Chelsea Poppens and Anna Prins, both of which have scored over 500 career points and grabbed over 200 rebounds.

Series Notes
– Iowa State and Houston Baptist are meeting for the first time. HBU is in its first year as a full Division I member after reclassifying in 2007.
– The Cyclones are 11-4 all-time against teams from the Great West Conference. The last meeting against a Great West team was in 2010-11 when ISU beat Chicago State, 62-48, at Hilton Coliseum.

Prins Sidelined
– Junior center Anna Prins will miss at least two weeks after undergoing a scope for a sore right knee Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Trey Bien
– Iowa State has made at least one three-pointer in an NCAA record 517 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to 1995. The Cyclones set the record against Texas on Feb. 21, 2011.

The last time the Cyclones didn’t hit a 3-pointer was on Feb. 15, 1995 against Missouri. That was the season before Fennelly was hired as head coach of the Cyclones.

Nonconference Home Success
– The Cyclones have gone undefeated at home during the nonconference portion of the schedule for six consecutive seasons and have won 58 straight regular-season nonconference contests at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have not lost a regular-season nonconference home game since the 2003-04 season (Washington).

For more news and notes on Iowa State women’s basketball follow us on twitter (@CycloneWBB).

(ISU press release)

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery is getting the job done on the recruiting trail.  After an 11-20 inaugural season, McCaffery has begun the building process by signing five recruits on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.  Two of those recruits are ESPN Top 100 selections.  Adam Woodbury, a 7-foot-1 center from Sioux City East is the centerpiece of the class.  A four star recruit, Woodbury begins his senior high school season in a couple weeks after choosing Iowa over North Carolina.  Joining Woodbury will be his AAU teammate, Mike Gesell of South Sioux City, Nebraska.  The 6-foot-2 point guard is also a four star recruit.  Other signees include6-foot-1 point guard Anthony Clemmons of Lansing, Michigan, 6-foot-3 shooting guard Patrick Ingram of Indianapolis, Indiana and 6-foot-9 center/forward Kyle Meyer of Alpharetta, Georgia.  All five would be eligible to join the Hawkeyes for the 2012-13 season.  Iowa will open the 2011-12 season this Friday night at home against Chicago State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The game tips off at 7:00 pm and will be heard on KJAN.

For more information, visit HawkeyeSports.com.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced today the signing of three players to national letters of intent for the 2012-13 basketball season. The three-person class is ranked in the top-35 nationally according to the ESPNU rankings.

Georges Niang (6-7, 235, Fr., Methuen, Mass.), who has emerged as one of the best power forwards in the nation, Sherron Dorsey-Walker (6-4, 175, Fr., Detroit, Mich.), one of the best shooters in the class of 2012, and Nkereuwem Okoro (6-5, 220, Fr., Bronx, N.Y.), one of the best preps out of the New York area, will enroll at Iowa State in the fall of 2012.

Iowa State Men’s Basketball 2012-13 Recruits
Georges Niang, F, 6-7, 235, Freshman, Methuen, Mass. (The Tilton School [N.H.])
Nkereuwem Okoro, G, 6-5, 220, Freshman, Bronx, N.Y. (St. Raymond)
Sherron Dorsey-Walker, G, 6-4, 175, Freshman, Detroit, Mich. (Pershing)

Georges Niang
F, 6-7, 235, Fr.
Methuen, Mass. (The Tilton School [N.H.])
A skilled forward who can score in a variety of ways around the hoop and connect from outside…considered one of the best players on the East Coast, earning First-Team Class AA NEPSAC honors in 2011…a consensus national top-100 recruit, Niang is ranked No. 42 by Lindy’s, No. 69 by Scout.com, No. 73 by Sporting News, No. 82 by ESPNU and No. 98 by Rivals.com in the 2012 prep national rankings…Scout.com ranks him as the 15th-best power forward in the nation and ESPNU has him listed at No. 18…averaged 24.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior…led his team to the NEPSAC Class AA championship with a 72-56 win over St. Mark’s (Mass.)…was named outstanding player of the tournament, scoring 23 points on 11-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbing nine boards in the championship game…team lost in the National Prep Championship to Notre Dame Prep (87-85), as Niang scored 31 points…ranked as the second-best player in New Hampshire and the eighth-best player in New England…his stock rose dramatically in the summer of 2011 in his play on the AAU circuit…played for the Boston-based BABC AAU team, the same program that featured former Cyclone and NBA player Will Blalock…his BABC squad won the 2011 Nike Peach Jam, one of the best AAU tournaments in the country…first name is pronounced GEORGE…last name pronounced Knee-yang…also had offers from Iowa, Providence, Texas A&M and Seton Hall.

Hoiberg on Niang:
“Georges will make an immediate impact in our program. He can score with anyone on the block and can take his defender on the perimeter and score from there. He is a throwback player who will find a way to beat you. He also plays the game with passion and is a player who will make his teammates better.”

Nkereuwem Okoro
G, 6-5, 220, Fr.
Bronx, N.Y. (St. Raymond)
A tough bruising guard-forward who has emerged as one of the best prospects out of New York in the Class of 2012…ranked as the third-best player in New York City in the Class of 2012…Rivals.com ranked him as a top-10 player outside the Rivals150…averaged 12.5 points and 6.1 rebounds as a junior, earning First-Team All-CHSAA honors…was a Third-Team All-CHSAA selection as a sophomore in 2010…team advanced to the CHSAA sectional finals, losing to Christ The King in overtime…first name is pronounced kur-AH-whum…last name pronounced oh-CORE-oh…goes by “Kerwin”…chose Iowa State over Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Arizona and Texas A&M.

Hoiberg on Okoro:
“We as a staff fell in love with Nkereuwem’s toughness and tenacity on the court. He is a big guard who can defend and rebound. He has also dramatically improved his jumpshot in the last year. He is another outstanding New York player who knows how to win.”

Sherron Dorsey-Walker
G, 6-4, 175, Fr.
Detroit, Mich. (Pershing)
One of the top prospects out of Michigan who is an outstanding shooter with a long wingspan…rated No. 122 in the Rivals.com rankings and listed as the second-best player out of Michigan…ranked as the 24th-best shooting guard in the Class of 2012 by Rivals.com and is listed at No. 25 on ESPNU’s best shooting guards…a two-year starter at Detroit Pershing…as a sophomore in high school, was teammates with McDonald’s All-American and current Michigan State Spartan Keith Appling…averaged 16.2 points as a junior…earned honorable mention all-state honors the last two seasons…played for the R.E.A.C.H. Legends AAU team…had offers from Michigan, Baylor, Boston College, Florida State, Indiana and Virginia Tech.

Hoiberg on Dorsey-Walker
“Outside shooting will always be an emphasis for us and we feel Sherron is one of the best shooters in the Class of 2012. He is a tall guard with excellent range and a smooth stroke. We think Sherron will fit in well in our system and look forward to seeing him develop into a contributor for us.”

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has decided to retire at the end of the season, his long career brought down by his failure to do more about an allegation of child sex abuse against a former assistant.  Paterno said in a statement Wednesday he is “absolutely devastated” by the developments in the case of Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator accused of molesting eight boys over 15 years.  Paterno says the board of trustees should “not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address.”  “This is a tragedy,” Paterno says. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”  Penn State’s athletic director and a vice president have already stepped down after being charged criminally with failing to notify authorities after an eyewitness reported a 2002 assault.  Paterno has not been accused of legal wrongdoing. But he has been assailed for what the state police commissioner called a lapse
of “moral responsibility” for not doing more to stop Sandusky, whose attorney maintains his client’s innocence.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Mark Dantonio admits the pressure is on.  The Michigan State coach is three wins from leading his team to a Legends Division title and a berth in the inaugural Big Ten championship game.  The 13th-ranked Spartans play at Iowa on Saturday in what could be their toughest remaining game of the regular season.  Michigan State is not allowing the media to talk to players this week – a move Dantonio says is designed to help his team’s concentration. The Spartans also made players off limits before their Big Ten opener at Ohio State.  Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan are tied for second in the division, one game behind Michigan State.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa running back Marcus Coker is a double major in physics and astronomy. He might have been too smart for his own good early this season.  Coach Kirk Ferentz says he thought the sophomore was over-analyzing the game and last month told him to stop thinking and start running.  Since then, Coker’s been as good as anyone in the country.  Coker has rushed for 647 yards and eight touchdowns in his last four games. He now leads the Big Ten with 1,101 yards rushing heading into Saturday’s divisional showdown between Iowa (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) and No. 13 Michigan State (7-2, 4-1) in Iowa City.  Ferentz says going back to basics has really helped Coker break out of his early slump.

UNDATED (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona has interviewed for the St. Louis Cardinals’ managerial vacancy.  The interview took place in Cincinnati, where Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. lives.  The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.  Francona managed the Red Sox for eight seasons and left after they wasted a nine-game September lead in the AL wild-card race.  St. Louis is seeking a replacement for Tony La Russa, who retired two days after winning his second World Series in 16 seasons with the Cardinals.

In other baseball news:
— Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux is next up as the Chicago Cubs search for a new manager. Maddux is slated to interview today. Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum and Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin have already been interviewed to replace Mike Quade.