The Iowa State Cyclones women’s basketball team fell in the first round of the Big 12 Championship tournament to the Texas Longhorns after a close overtime 84-82 affair on Friday.

The Cyclones have now lost all three games against the Longhorns this year as their Big 12 season comes to a close. 

Throughout the first half, it was a story of the Cyclones being efficient from the floor but turnovers, 3-point shooting and a low number of assists affected their game until they turned it around in the fourth quarter. 

The first half saw a lot of efficient scoring inside from the Cyclones, but they were not shooting the ball from deep as well as they usually do. They went just 1-7 from beyond the arc in the first half while the Longhorns were getting a lot of looks and making them from three. 

Along with the off-shooting in the first half, turnovers hurt Iowa State in the first half. The team ended the half with 10 turnovers which the Longhorns took full advantage of while only giving up one turnover themselves. 

A big trend in the game was the low number of assists as well for the Cyclones. The Cyclones only registered nine assists on 76 points, which is well below their usual average of 14, while the Longhorns had 20 on the night.

The second half saw a much better performance from the Cyclones as they were making a lot more three point field goals and were not committing many fouls, while also drawing a lot of fouls from Texas.

The Cyclones scored four three point field goals in the second half in comparison to their one in the first which helped them bring the game more within reach. 

Once the fourth quarter began the Longhorns had a 51-45 lead and were looking like they were going to build on that but the Cyclones went on some big runs to regain the lead.

The Cyclones outscored the Longhorns in the fourth quarter 24-18 and this efficient quarter saw team head into overtime after regulation ended 69-69. 

Overtime saw the Longhorns regain their lead as Longhorns freshman Ashley Chevalier scored five straight points to begin the quarter. Both teams went on a two minute scoring drought which saw the game come down to the final seconds. 

After the drought, the Cyclones were able to bring the game within a point with under 30 seconds left but, the Longhorns went on to win 84-82.  

Despite a big effort from Ashley Joens who finished with a double-double of 28 points and 14 rebounds and Emily Ryan who finished with 19, the Cyclones fell just short of advancing to the next round. 

The Cyclones season now comes to a close after a very close game which came down to the last few seconds. 

The Cyclones will now head home from Kansas City earlier than they would have wanted and will await selection Monday to hear if their name is called for the NCAA Tournament.