The Iowa State Cyclones faced the Texas Longhorns in Big 12 conference play on Sunday after their winter break following a win against Drake University. 

While the game was very back and forth in the first half, the Longhorns were able to adjust to the way the Cyclones were playing and capitalized in the second half. 

The game finished 74-59 to the Texas Longhorns as the Cyclones had their four game win streak ended as their record now sits at 6-4 (2-1 Big 12).

Emily Ryan’s playmaking

Freshman Emily Ryan has slowly grown into her role this season and it’s apparent that she’s playing some of her best basketball recently. 

After coming off of a double-double against Drake she picked up right where she left off as she finished with 11 points and nine assists against the Longhorns. 

Her playmaking has been a huge part of Iowa State’s offense as she’s averaging over six assists per game so far this season. She showed her passing and playmaking ability tonight as she was able to find her teammates cutting to the basket on multiple occasions. 

Ryan’s passing off of a screen from the top of the key has been automatic over the last few games and it’s a big source of points for the Cyclones as she’s able to feed junior Ashley Joens and senior Kristin Scott inside. 

Ryan was able to influence a lot of the Cyclone’s scoring in the first half which helped keep the game close up until the Longhorns adjusted at halftime and slowed down the Iowa State offense. 

While the Cyclones didn’t get the win they still have a lot of talent and time to learn from this game and will surely come back stronger the next time they’re on the floor. 

Containing Charli Collier 

Iowa State knew coming into the game it would be going up against one of the best players in the Big 12 in Charli Collier and implemented a game-plan to contain her from the start.

By playing a 2-3 zone and packing the paint as much as they can, Collier found herself double teamed and even triple teamed at times forcing her to take tough shots in the paint. The Cyclones stuck to this defense all game and it proved to be effective as Collier wasn’t getting the shots she usually gets. 

This defense on Collier forced Texas to kick the ball out to the three point line where they don’t typically take too many shots from. The Longhorns are averaging just about five three point field goals made per game and have been forced to take a lot more three point attempts than they are used to. 

This defensive game plan helped keep the game close for the majority of the game but, once the second half began the Longhorns were able to adjust to the Cyclones defense and they were able to go on a bit of a run.

Once the Longhorns made their adjustments they were able to hit a lot more shots from beyond the arc and that earned them a 10 point cushion for a majority of the second half.

While the Cyclones were successful in containing the Longhorns most dangerous weapon in Collier, their defensive strategy didn’t go to plan in the second half as the Longhorns went on to win the game by 15. 

Cyclones not connecting on offense in second half

While it was a very promising start to the game for Iowa State having played good defense and making their shots, it was a different story in the second half. 

The Texas Longhorns began playing a full court press right out of halftime and this applied a lot of pressure on the Cyclones to get the ball up the court and set up their offense. 

The Cyclones could not get much going on offense in the second half having scored 26 points and allowing 38 points to the Longhorns. 

Iowa State was able to get some open looks in the second half but nothing was going for them as the Texas defense really stepped up. They played much more aggressive on the ball and forced the Cyclones to make quick decisions which would either lead to a turnover to a missed field goal. 

The defensive presence of Celeste Taylor and Charli Collier inside denied any opportunity for the Cyclones to get any good looks in the paint which impacted the scoring of Ashley Joens.

Joens was able to get to the free throw line on numerous occasions against the Longhorns but in open play the Texas defense was able to contain her scoring.  

The Cyclones will now hope to bounce back from this loss in their next game against Texas Tech on Sunday. 

The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.