Iowa State hands Oklahoma State its first conference loss of the season

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Iowa State junior guard Ashley Joens shoots the ball over an Oklahoma State defender in Iowa State’s win Wednesday.

Megan Teske

In Wednesday night’s game against Oklahoma State, Iowa State gave the Cowgirls their first conference loss as the Cyclones improved to 4-1 in Big 12 play.

The Cyclones beat the Cowgirls 90-80 in what was a close contest throughout the whole game, despite Iowa State not having senior forward Kristin Scott.

Iowa State got off to a strong shooting start in the beginning of the game, going 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc before the first media timeout to give the Cyclones a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Cyclones maintained the lead in the second quarter behind 47 percent shooting and led the Cowgirls at halftime 42-33.

Despite the lead, Iowa State struggled to shut down Oklahoma State senior forward Natasha Mack in the first half, with Mack leading the Cowgirls with 14 points on 7-12 shooting in the first half.

Oklahoma State was also unable to contain junior guard Ashley Joens in the first half, as Joens led the Cyclones with 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the first half.

The Cowgirls worked to get a comeback going in the second half, but each time Oklahoma State got something started, Iowa State hit a three to end a run.

The Cyclones ended the game going 48 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 16 3-pointers on the way. The Cowgirls, meanwhile, shot 43 percent from deep, knocking down six 3-pointers.

Mack’s team-leading 34 points and 13 rebounds were not enough to stop the Cyclones, as Iowa State beat Oklahoma State 90-80 to hand the Cowgirls their first conference loss.

Joens led Iowa State in both scoring and rebounds, putting up 30 points and bringing in 15 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season.

Iowa State will next travel to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be available to watch on ESPNU.