Iowa State went on a 9-0 run late in the first quarter to go up 14-6, capped by a three-pointer from Jadda Buckley. With outside shots not falling, the Cyclones got to the free throw line and locked down on the defensive end. Iowa State held Southern scoreless for over four minutes during their run, and shot 10 free throws in the opening stanza, allowing them to take a 15-10 lead that they would not surrender.
Burkhall came alive in the second quarter, scoring 12 points in the stanza, including six straight at one point. The Cyclones kept feeding Burkhall, a freshman forward, whose previous career-high was 11. Iowa State also forced eight turnovers and held the Jaguars to just 27 percent shooting in the first half, as the Cyclones took a 37-23 edge into the locker room at halftime.
A 10-0 run early in the third quarter put the Cyclones up 52-27, putting the game out of reach. Burkhall sparked the ISU run with back-to-back made jumpers, followed by six-straight ISU makes at the free throw line, including four from Buckley, who had nine points in the quarter. Seanna Johnson also did a little bit of everything for the Cardinal and Gold, stuffing the stat sheet with four points, four rebounds and four assists in the third quarter. Johnson would go on to record her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds, as well as six assists.
Iowa State would once again start the quarter fast, opening with a 16-2 run in the final stanza, with reserves doing the majority of the damage. The Cyclones had four of their eight three-point makes come in the final quarter, including two from Emily Durr. Durr finished the game with nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
Meredith Burkhall. Burhall scored a career-high and game-high 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds, which was also a career-best. The freshman from Urbandale, Iowa blocked a team-leading two shots and came up with a steal.
Iowa State will be back in Hilton Coliseum on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. to face Iowa in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Television coverage for the game can be found on Cyclones.tv.
