Iowa State to face Georgia in second round of NCAA tournament

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Photo: William Deaton/Iowa State Daily

ISU women’s basketball forward Chelsea Poppens closes her eyes as she drives through Kansas’ defense for a layup during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on March 9, 2013, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Cyclones defeated the Jayhawks with a final score of 77-62. Poppens made 10 of her 13 attempted shots in the game.

Stephen Koenigsfeld

The madness continues for No. 5-seeded Iowa State on March 25, 2013, when it will face off against No. 4 seed Georgia in Spokane, Wash. It is the 12th time in school history Iowa State has advanced to the second round.

The Lady Bulldogs (26-6, 12-4 SEC) moved their way into the second round after beating No. 13-seeded Montana. The Cyclones (24-8, 12-6 Big 12) routed Gonzaga 72-60 in the first round.

One positive notion for Iowa State after its victory was an unprecedented free-throw percentage. On March 22, senior Chelsea Poppens went 8-for-9 at the charity stripe, making her free-throw percentage the best for the school in tournament history.

The Cyclones shot 94.4 percent from the free-throw line on 17-of-18 free throws.

One malady in Iowa State’s performance against Gonzaga was a high number of turnovers. Iowa State had 23 to Gonzaga’s nine.

“The team works hard together. Usually, you don’t win games where you turn the ball over 23 times, but we kept fighting,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly.

The official tip time for the second round game is 8:50 p.m. CST on March 25.