Jadda Buckley, formerly of Mason City, had her 47th career game with five or more assists (13th of the season). She became the 29th Cyclone in school history to score 1,000 career points.
Bridget Carleton was the top Cyclone performer, putting up 30 points and nine rebounds, followed by a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double from Seanna Johnson. Iowa State led throughout the first half and into the third quarter, but a 17-2 TCU run would prove to be the difference at Sunday in Schollmaier Arena.
Carleton carried the bulk of the offensive load in the early going. The sophomore scored 10 points in what was an otherwise difficult offensive first quarter for the Cyclones. Carleton splashed home 3-pointers on ISU’s first two possessions of the game and helped the Cyclones open a 10-4 lead. Both teams would struggle to get open looks in the first 10 minutes and Iowa State held a 14-11 advantage after one while the Cyclone defense held TCU to just 4-of-15 from the field.
The Cyclones extended the lead with a 9-0 run early in the second period, led by Emily Durr. The junior guard scored seven points in the run, which took just 1:06 of game time and gave ISU a 25-15 advantage. A pair of Durr 3-pointers book-ended the run, including a four-point play to spark the stretch. The Cyclones would take a 38-27 lead into the locker room at halftime on a Carleton triple at the buzzer. She led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
Iowa State would extend its lead to as many as 13 early in the second half before the tide turned in favor of TCU. The Horned Frogs were able to string together a 17-2 run, during which they took their first lead of the game and would hold a 51-46 advantage before the Cyclones could stop the bleeding. After going 0-of-5 from 3-point territory in the first half, TCU knocked down 5-of-7 triples to open the third quarter. Iowa State bounced back with big shots from Carleton and Johnson to cut the deficit to 56-54 with 10 minute to play.
TCU held the lead through the bulk of the fourth quarter until a lay-up by Carleton with 1:21 to play knotted the game at 70-70. The Horned Frogs got an enormous 3-pointer on the ensuing possession from Toree Thompson and the Cyclones were unable to find the equalizer, falling 80-75.
Bridget Carleton was the Cyclone Player of the Game. The native of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, put up a game-high 30 points, to go with nine rebounds and was ISU’s go-to option throughout much of the afternoon. The guard also dished out four assists in a strong all-around performance.
Iowa State extended its NCAA-record streak to 690 games with a made 3-pointer.
The Cyclones will be back in the state of Texas for a road game against No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT.
