AMES – No. 18 Iowa State (12-4, 4-2 Big 12) sealed a 69-64 victory over Oklahoma State (13-5, 3-3 Big 12) Wednesday night, an emotional night for Iowa State with head coach Bill Fennelly missing the game for personal reasons. With associate head coach Jodi Steyer in command, ISU remained undefeated at home and were led by four double-figure scorers.
Emily Ryan led the team with 14 points and seven assists, going 3-of-3 from long range. Morgan Kane had her first double-figure game of the season (11) while making her first four field goals, ending the night with just one miss. Nyamer Diew hit crucial shots with a 12-point performance on 5-of-8 shooting and Ashley Joens had her seventh double-double of the season (10 points, 12 rebounds).
The Cyclones held a four-point edge at the intermission as both sides kept it close throughout the matchup. The visitors led by as much as four in the third quarter before ISU fought back to hold the lead through the final quarter. Iowa State totaled another game with double digit 3-pointers, its fourth conference game with at least 10.
How it Happened
Ryan drained a 3-pointer to kick off the contest and connected on another at the 6:41 mark to guide the Cyclones to an early 8-4 lead. The Cowgirls caught up with a run of seven before Denae Fritz ended it with a triple of her own. OSU’s efficiency in shots continued, making eight straight to hold the advantage at 17-13. With 39 seconds remaining, Diew netted the bucket to come within two of OSU put the score at 17-15 after the first quarter.
The second frame began with two Oklahoma State turnovers as ISU retook the lead at 19-17. ISU began to pull away from there, going out to a 27-21 advantage midway through the period. Kane continued shooting without a miss with her third make as Iowa State ended the first half in front 32-28.
Oklahoma State made four-straight buckets, leading to the Cowgirls tying things up at 39 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Fritz and Ryan then ended the ISU cold streak grabbing a pair of 3-pointers, including Ryan’s buzzer beater to put ISU back ahead 49-47 into the final quarter.
Opening the fourth strong, Lexi Donarski brought in the eighth Cyclone triple to go out to a lead of five. With ISU up two, Diew became the fifth to net a trey to bring the score to 57-52 with seven minutes to go. Iowa State held the lead to remain undefeated at home.
Players of the Game
Morgan Kane delivered with 11 points in 18 minutes of play. The senior went 4-of-5 from the field for her 12th-career game with 10-plus points while grabbing eight rebounds.
Nyamer Diew also contributed big in her 22 minutes of action with 12 points (5-of-8 shooting) and two triples, both in the final quarter to guide ISU to the win.
Up Next
No. 18 Iowa State continues its homestand hosting Kansas this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and tickets are available at this link.
