Iowa State trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter, but rallied for its third Big 12 win of the season.
Not much went Iowa State’s way in the early going, as the TCU opened the game at a blistering pace, while the Cyclones struggled to find a rhythm offensively. ISU was just 3-of-22 in the opening quarter, including a stretch of 10-straight misses while the Horned Frogs rattle off a 12-0 run. Emily Durr was a bright spot early on, scoring five in the opening stanza and assisting on Iowa State’s only other basket in the first quarter. TCU held a 22-8 lead through one.
Bridget Carleton led an Iowa State surge in the second quarter, scoring all 12 points in the period, as the Cyclones rallied from a 16-point deficit. The ISU defense held TCU scoreless for nearly five minutes during a 13-0 Cyclone run as the tide turned in favor of the Cardinal & Gold. Iowa State cut the deficit to 37-34 at the intermission, led by 12 points from Carleton and 13 rebounds courtesy of Seanna Johnson.
Former Mason City Mohawk Jadda Buckley scored 8 points on 2 of 10 shooting in 40 minutes. Buckley now ranks 27th on ISU’s career scoring chart with 1,069 points, passing Vanessa Ward (1,063; 1987-90).
The Iowa State defense created scoring opportunities in the third quarter, forcing seven TCU miscues in the period. ISU’s stingy defense was especially prevalent in a key stretch in which the home team went on an 8-0 run over 1:36 while forcing four Horned Frog turnovers. Carleton scored eight more in the quarter, going 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. ISU held a 61-58 lead with 10 minutes to play.
A rugged, back-and-forth final quarter had the Cyclone faithful in attendance on the edge of their seats. With both teams struggling to get clean shots from the field, the game went over four minutes without a field goal. With ISU clinging to a 66-65 lead, Carleton knocked down a huge baseline jumper with 2:11 to play, breaking the scoreless streak. Seanna Johnson hit a pair of free throws down the stretch, and a desperation shot from TCU missed its mark, as the Cyclones won 72-69.
The Cyclone Player of the Game was Bridget Carleton. The sophomore guard was needed to carry the offensive load in today’s game and she came through to the tune of 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. Carleton went 6-of-17 from the field, but knocked down all 10 of her free throw attempts in the win.
Iowa State extended its NCAA-record streak to 694 games with a made 3-pointer.
The Cyclones will be back in Hilton Coliseum to face No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday.
