Cyclones lose defensive battle on the road

Iowa State then-junior guard Rae Johnson drives to the hoop in Iowa State’s game against Iowa on Dec. 11.

John Miller, J_Miller_8

The Iowa State Cyclones (15-11, 7-8 Big 12) lost 51-60 to the Kansas State Wildcats (14-12, 8-7 Big 12) on Wednesday night.

This is the first time all season that Iowa State has been held to under 60 points in a game.

The game started off slow offensively, with Kansas State taking a 13-11 lead into the end of the first quarter, but the game took another turn in the second quarter as Kansas State outscored Iowa State 12-6 to take a 25-17 lead into half.

The scoring picked back up in the second half, with Iowa State overcoming a near double-digit deficit in the third quarter to bring the game close at the start of the fourth quarter.

But Kansas State had a late push thanks to some timely three-point baskets to pull away.

Ashley Joens led the Cyclones with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Rae Johnson was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points.

Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, Peyton Williams, and Angela Harris all scored 11 points for Kansas State.

With the loss, Iowa State falls to fifth place in the Big 12 Conference.