This is a press release courtesy of Iowa State Athletics Communication
STILLWATER, Oklahoma– Iowa State made a furious rally to force overtime, but was unable to overcome Oklahoma State as the Cowgirls prevailed over the Cyclones 79-76 Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The loss drops ISU to 11-6 on the year and 3-3 in Big 12 play. OSU is now 14-4 and 4-3 in conference action.
Seanna Johnson led the Iowa State effort with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Emily Durr recorded a career-high 15 points. However, ISU had no answer for Oklahoma State’s 1-2 punch of Kaylee Jensen and Brittany Martin. Jensen led all scorers with 27 points, while Martin finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
How it Happened
Iowa State had an early 14-4 lead in the first quarter, led by a trio of Seanna Johnson 3-pointers. However, the Cowgirls battled back through Kaylee Jensen’s strong play in the post to bring the home side ahead 29-24, but the Cyclones were able to rattle off the final eight points of the first half, led by Bridget Carleton’s back-to-back 3-pointers to give Iowa State a 32-29 halftime lead.
The Cowgirls got the game tied again at 35-35 three minutes into the second half, but ISU was back in front the next possession as Emily Durr converted an old-fashioned 3-point play. However, the Cowgirls went back to Jensen in the post to move back ahead, 39-38. Another traditional 3-pointer play, this one by Johnson, pushed ISU back ahead 44-42. Johnson added to her tally with a bucket as time expired in the fourth to give ISU a 46-42 edge heading to the final period.
Oklahoma State immediately got back to business in the post to start the fourth, as Jensen got four-straight points to tie the game again at 46-46. Diana Omozee put the Cowgirls back ahead two possessions later with a 15-foot jumper, as the 7-0 OSU run would eventually give the home side a 49-46 advantage. After Durr tied it at 49s, the Cowgirls opened up their biggest lead of the game with a 8-0 run to move ahead 57-49.
With OSU starting to pull ahead again, the Cowgirl lead reached 61-52 with 2:14 to play. The Cyclones received a couple of big 3-pointers down the stretch from Durr and Jadda Buckley to get the Oklahoma State lead back to one possession at 63-60 with 40.9 seconds to play. After Roddricka Patton made a free throw to make it a four-point game, Kidd Blaskowsky hit a 3-pointer with 15.7 seconds to go to make it a one-point game at 64-63. Karli Wheeler rimmed in a pair of free throws to restore OSU’s lead to three with 14 seconds to go, but Johnson was able to draw a foul on a 3-pointer, for which she was able to make all three to tie it at 66-66 with 7.5 seconds to go and force overtime, as Oklahoma State failed to pull back ahead.
In overtime, Buckley opened the scoring, but Wheeler drained a 3-pointer at the top of the key to get OSU back ahead. Martin was active again, as she made consecutive buckets to up the Oklahoma State lead to 73-69, but Buckley responded with a 3-point play to cut the deficit to one with 2:19 to go. Jensen made it a three-point edge for OSU again with 1:10 to play.
ISU once again decided to foul with 39.6 seconds to go in spite of it being a one possession game, and once again Patton only made one free throw to make it a four-point game at 76-72. Buckley drove the baseline to lay one in and make it a two-point game with 22.9 to go. ISU sent Martin to the line, and she was only able to convert one to make it 77-74 Cowgirls with 22.1 seconds to play. Another Buckley lay-in cut the OSU lead to one, but Wheeler made a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game again. Buckley was given the final shot, but it hit off the back of the rim, and Oklahoma State claimed the victory.
Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has now hit a 3-pointer in an NCAA-record 660-straight games.
*Emily Durr’s 15 points marked a career-high, her third game of 2015-16 in double figures and seventh of her ISU career.
*Jadda Buckley posted 13 points, her 11th game of the season in double figures and 31st of her career.
*Seanna Johnson recorded nine rebounds to give her 708 for her career. Johnson reached 700 boards in 79 games, the fastest to 700 in ISU history (Chelsea Poppens & Angie Welle, 85).
*Johnson finished with 22 points, her 53rd career game in double figures.
*Bridget Carleton posted 13 points, her 12th game in double figures this season. Carleton has scored in double figures in all six of ISU’s Big 12 games.
*Carleton also had 10 rebounds for her third career double-double.
*Meredith Burkhall had 10 points, her seventh game of 2015-16 in double figures.
Up Next
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum to begin a three-game home stand on Saturday against No. 4 Baylor. Tip is at 12:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on FS1.
