The Lowdown

The ISU women’s basketball team held on to defeat Kansas 72-69 Feb. 15 at Hilton Coliseum in front of a crowd of 11,988.

Trailing 40-29 with 41 seconds left in the first half, senior Hallie Christofferson sank two free throws to pull the Cyclones within single digits. Then, with one second left in the half, Christofferson converted on a layup to cut the halftime deficit to 40-33.

The Cyclones continued their streak into the second half, outscoring the Jayhawks 13-6 in the first seven minutes and tying the game at 46.

From there on, neither team pulled away by more than five points, setting up a 68-68 tie with 35 seconds left in the game. Just 10 seconds later, guard Nikki Moody sank a layup to give the Cyclones the final lead of the game.

In a battle of bigs, Christofferson matched up with Kansas’ Chelsea Gardner for most of the night, tallying 29 points and eight rebounds. Gardner racked up 19 points and 10 rebounds, but did not play as much in the second half due to foul trouble.

Turning Point

With 25 seconds left, and the Cyclones trailing 69-68, guard Nikki Moody converted a layup to give Iowa State a 70-69 lead.

Kansas guard CeCe Harper travelled on the ensuing possession and after being fouled on the inbounds pass, Christofferson iced away the victory by knocking down two free throws.

X-Factor

Hallie Christofferson led the Cyclones with 29 points and was one of two ISU players to grab eight rebounds. Christofferson also made 9-of-10 free throws and shot 2-of-3 from three-point range.

By the Numbers

29 – Senior Hallie Christofferson led all scorers with 29 points. Her career high is 33, set earlier this season.

19-10 – KU junior Chelsea Gardner led her team in points and rebounds, tallying 19 and 10, respectively. Gardner was perfect from the free throw line, making all five of her attempts.

6-3 – Guard Nikki Moody dished out six assists while only turning the ball over three times. The junior also scored 14 points for the Cyclones, including the go-ahead layup with 25 seconds to go.

75 – The Cyclones made 75 percent of their free throw attempts, going 21-28 on the night. Their season average of 80.1 ranks second in the nation. The Jayhawks only took nine free throws in the game, converting on six of them.

Next Up 

The ISU women’s basketball team returns to action on Feb. 19 to take on Baylor in Waco, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.