WBB: Cyclones To Play For Big 12 Title

[Jeremy]

WBB: Cyclones To Play For Big 12 Title
Media Relations

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—Iowa State drilled 10 3-pointers and held No. 13 Texas A&M to 36.2 percent from the floor en route to a 57-51 win over the Aggies Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship. ISU, winners of eight-straight, improves to 25-7 and advances to the title game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Saturday night. The Cyclones will play the winner of the Oklahoma-Baylor game at 6 p.m.

"Obviously we are ecstatic to still be playing in such a great event," ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said after the win. "Texas A&M is an amazing team. They are going to be a great NCAA team. We beat a great team tonight and did everything we could when we had to do it to make plays. It was a great semifinal game and we are honored to be playing Saturday night."

The Cyclones hung tough with the Aggies early, routinely breaking their press for easy buckets and being aggressive on the offensive glass. A Megan Ronhovde 3-pointer at the 12:05 mark in the opening period gave ISU its first lead at 15-14. However, Takia Starks made a trey to spark a 7-0 A&M run to move the Aggies out in front 21-15.

The Cyclones stormed right back with an 8-0 run behind a pair of deep 3-pointers by Lyndsey Medders and Heather Ezell, helping the Cyclones go up 25-23 with 4:29 left in the first half. Another Ezell 3-pointer gave ISU a 28-25 halftime lead.

Despite the 3-point cushion at the break, the Cyclones had plenty of chances to improve their lead, but 12 first half turnovers hurt ISU. However, ISU offset its ballhandling deficiencies by shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and grabbing seven offensive caroms in the opening period.

ISU continued its hot shooting from beyond the arc in the opening moments of the second half. Amanda Nisleit and Ronhovde both hit treys to open up a 34-28 Cyclone lead. Two more treys by Lacey and Ronhovde gave ISU its biggest lead at 40-32 with 13:56 left in the game. Another trey by Ezell made it eight-straight 3-pointers for the Cyclones, as ISU went up 43-35 with 11:54 remaining.

"It's a part of our game (shooting 3-pointers)," Fennelly said. "Because their defense is so good, we couldn't get to the basket. So the shot that was available was the 3. And luckily, we made enough of them tonight."

The Aggies quickly answered by mounting a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two points (43-41) with 9:20 left. A’Quonesia Franklin had four points, including a trey, in the run. After A&M tied the game at 47-all, Nicky Wieben and Toccara Ross hit shots on back-to-back possessions to give ISU a 51-47 edge with 4:23 left. Ross then made a driving lay-up off a Lacey dish to give ISU a 55-48 lead with under three minutes left. ISU iced the game from then on at the free-throw line.

Ezell and Lacey paced ISU with 11 points each, as the Cyclones advance to their fourth Big 12 Tournament title game and first since 2001. Medders added eight points and six points in the win. Wieben had seven points and three blocks, breaking her own single-season school mark for rejections with 60.

Game Notes

-Head coach Bill Fennelly recorded his 18th Big 12 Tournament victory. It is the most among active Big 12 coaches.
-Iowa State advances to the Big 12 finals for the fourth time in school history.
-Iowa State is on an eight game winning streak.
-Iowa State advances to the Big 12 finals for the first time since 2001.
-Iowa State has made a 3-pointer in 366 consecutive games.
-Megan Ronhovde passed Monica Huelman for fifth most games played in an Iowa State uniform (126).
-Lyndsey Medders is one field goal attempt shy of tying Stephanie Smith for seventh-most field goal attempts in a season. Medders has taken 398 shots.
-Nicky Wieben broke her own Iowa State record for blocks in a single-season with 60 total on the year. She had three in the game.
-Iowa State is 19-1 when leading at the half.
-Five different Iowa State players hit a 3-pointer.