Iowa State traveled to Las Vegas to participate in the South Point Shootout, where the Cyclones dropped their first matchup to Vanderbilt.

The Cyclones could not pull out the win Friday, as they fell to the Commodores by a score of 68-53.

Here are the three big takeaways from the Cyclones’ loss to Vanderbilt:

Early turnovers plague Cyclones

Iowa State had previously struggled to prevent turnovers from happening, and it was not fixed as it had been a reason for Iowa State’s struggles early on.

At the end of the first half, Iowa State had turned the ball over 10 times,  with seven of those turnovers coming in the second quarter.

Coming into the game, the Cyclones averaged a team total of around 15 turnovers per game, as they had more trouble than usual handling the basketball against Vanderbilt.

Four different Cyclones finished the game with a team-high of three turnovers each, as keeping the ball on their side of the court has been one of the many challenges the team has had to face this season.

Second quarter shooting once again stings Iowa State

Going into the second quarter, the Cyclones held a one-point lead over the Commodores, as they looked to continue to put the pressure on Vanderbilt to secure their lead going into halftime.

That did not happen, as Iowa State only put up a combined four points in the entire quarter. The Cyclones learned previously that four points was not enough to get the job done in the end.

The Cyclones had a similar experience in their loss to Drake earlier in the season, when they also put up a combined four points in the second quarter.

While Iowa State tried to come back into the game versus the Bulldogs and had moments where they could take the momentum, nothing built from it resulting in a loss, just like their loss to Vanderbilt on Friday.

Third quarter surge not enough in the end

Down by 12 coming into the second half, the Cyclones struggled to get anything going, as they looked to get off on the right foot in the third quarter.

The Cyclones did just that, as they put up 24 points on Vanderbilt in just the third quarter alone, to bring the game back within three points entering the last quarter of play.

Forward Nyamer Diew led the third quarter surge with seven points, as she helped push Iowa State closer into getting back in front of Vanderbilt.

In the end, it was not enough to carry into the fourth quarter and result in a win, but it was promising for the Cyclones’ ability to brush off a rough start and climb back like they have in games thus far.

The Cyclones will look to rebound from their loss Friday, as they take on Syracuse at 1 p.m. Saturday in their final matchup in Las Vegas.