Carleton’s game-winner puts No. 20 Iowa State past Texas Tech

Senior Bridget Carleton smiles as she scans the court for an open teammate to pass to during their game against the Baylor Bears on Feb. 23 at the Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones lost 60-73.

Spencer Suckow

A furious fourth quarter comeback and a late go-ahead basket from Bridget Carleton allowed No. 20 Iowa State to escape Lubbock, Texas, with a 64-62 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

After three quarters of what was likely the team’s worst offensive basketball of the season, the Cyclones flipped a switch for 29 fourth-quarter points to erase a 10-point deficit at the beginning of the quarter.

Prior to that, Iowa State had scored only 35 points in three quarters, including just seven in the second quarter. The team entered the fourth shooting only 27.1 percent from the field before shooting 55 percent in the final frame.

The Cyclones were primarily led in the comeback by Carleton, who scored 27 points in the second half after being held scoreless in the first. Carleton scored 16 of the points in the fourth, including the game-winning layup with only 3.1 seconds remaining in the game.

Carleton also added 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals to cap off another spectacular all-around performance. The only other player to join Carleton in double figures for Iowa State was sophomore forward Kristin Scott, who scored 10 points and added seven rebounds. Freshman guard Ashley Joens also scored nine points with eight rebounds.

The win moves Iowa State to 21-7 and to 11-5 in Big 12 play. The win is also the 500th in the career of head coach Bill Fennelly.

Iowa State will play its next game in Austin, Texas, on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns, where second place in the Big 12 will be on the line.