ISU Rally Falls Short in Big 12 Tournament

DALLAS, Texas – The Iowa State women's basketball team (18-12, 9-9 Big 12) fell to Oklahoma State (20-10, 9-9 Big 12), 67-58, on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in the second round of the Big 12 women's basketball tournament.

How It Happened…
The Cyclones struggled in the first half against the Cowgirls, going down by as many as 13 as shooting woes plagued Iowa State, which connected on just 27 percent of its shots. Iowa State was unable to overcome an Oklahoma State offense that shot 55 percent (15-27) from the floor in the first half. Iowa State would score just one basket over the last 8:44 in the first half as it entered the locker room with a 13-point deficit, 21-34.

Senior Brynn Williamson led Iowa State in the first half with eight points off perfect 3-of-3 shooting as freshman Bryanna Fernstrom tallied seven and sophomore Seanna Johnson hauled in a game-high six rebounds.

The Cyclones drought would continue into the second as Iowa State would struggle to get any offensive rhythm, ISU would trail by as many at 23 in the second.

The Cyclones would stage a comeback late in the second half, as they cut a 23-point OSU lead at the 14:34 mark in the second to an 8-point lead with 3:21 on the clock.

Senior Nikki Moody then staged a 5-0 run of her own via a layup and a three-pointer to bring the game within one possession.

The teams then traded pairs of made free throws, but 61-58 with 1:03 remaining would be as close as ISU would get to pulling off the comeback. OSU hit its free throws down the stretch and pulled away to win 67-58.

Game Ball Goes To…
Seanna Johnson. The All-Big 12 Honorable Mention sophomore posted her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. Johnson also helped fuel the ISU run in the second half by scoring 7 consecutive points for Iowa State, including a gritty old-fashioned three point play.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*ISU extended its NCAA-record streak to 642 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
*Brynn Williamson now ranks 24th on ISU's career scoring chart (1,085).
*Nikki Moody recorded her 26th game this season with five or more assists (86th of career).
*Johnson recorded her ninth double-double (13th of career).
*Johnson has 279 rebounds this season, which ranks second all-time for an ISU sophomore (Angie Welle, 283).

Next Up:
The Cyclones will wait to learn their postseason fate on Selection Monday, which will be held on March 16. Fans can follow the action on Twitter (@CycloneWBB).

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Players Mentioned

Bryanna Fernstrom

Seanna Johnson

Seanna Johnson

Nikki Moody

Nikki Moody

Brynn Williamson

Brynn Williamson

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Iowa State University Athletics