Iowa State picks up third sweep of the season with win over TCU

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Lexi Donarski shoots the ball against TCU on Feb. 13 at Hilton Coliseum.

Megan Teske

Still searching for its third sweep in conference play, Iowa State was able to get it with a win over TCU on Saturday night when the Cyclones took down the Horned Frogs 92-81.

TCU got out to a strong start against Iowa State, getting an early 11-3 lead in the first quarter with the Cyclones shooting just 20 percent to the Horned Frogs’ 50 percent.

However, Iowa State quickly took the lead with a slew of 3-pointers from the Cyclones and closed down the first quarter up 22-18 while shooting 50 percent from the field and 67 percent from the 3-point line.

Iowa State kept a small lead throughout the first half of the second quarter, but TCU was able to close the gap in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter. The Horned Frogs took the lead, but the Cyclones tied it and eventually retook the lead to close out the first half up 41-39.

Freshman guard Lexi Donarski had a strong first half for Iowa State, leading the Cyclones with 16 points on 5-6 shooting, including 4-5 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Lauren Heard led the Horned Frogs at half with 15 points on 7-9 shooting.

The third quarter remained close between the two teams, with the largest lead of the quarter being four points, which both teams had at one point, but Iowa State ended the third quarter in front 68-64.

After remaining scoreless in the first half, junior guard Ashley Joens helped bring the Cyclones back in front, collecting 10 points in the quarter. Donarski contributed 11 points in the quarter and continued to lead the Cyclones in points with 27.

It appeared Iowa State had taken it away in the final quarter, going up 80-71 with six and a half remaining, when TCU called for a timeout.

The Horned Frogs were unable to mount a comeback as the Cyclones continued to hold their lead, closing out the game and winning 92-81.

The Cyclones finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range while the Horned Frogs shot 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from three.

Freshman guard Lexi Donarski led Iowa State with 32 points, a new career high, while senior forward Kristin Scott led in rebounds with nine. Senior guard Lauren Heard led the Horned Frogs with 26 points and seven rebounds.

Iowa State will next travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Kansas Jayhawks for the first time this season. The game will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday and will be available to watch on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.