Iowa State secured its second road win of the season with a dominant 79-58 victory over Arizona, improving to a 3-2 Big 12 Conference record.
Iowa State developed a strong lead as the Wildcats were faced with a scoring drought. The Cyclones struggled offensively despite holding their ground throughout the first 10 minutes of play.
A 15-6 lead after the first quarter came in handy as small mistakes and errors were presented in the second quarter leading to Arizona’s ability to start a strong shooting pattern.
Due to missed passes and sloppy ball handling, Arizona gained possession of the ball numerous times, gathering five points off turnovers in the second quarter. With the Wildcats’ possession opportunities, they controlled the second quarter, outshooting Iowa State 22-19.
However, the Cyclones continued to hold on and showed their willingness to fight back as their shooting accuracy increased. They made 54% of their field goal shots along with a 42% succession rate from the 3-point arc. The shooting accuracy led Iowa State to continue its strong rhythm as they controlled the game, bringing home its third conference win of the season.
Sydney Harris leads scoring
With sophomore center Audi Crooks having an offensive drought, giving her a minimal 11 points after scoring zero in the first quarter, many other players stepped up to fill in the missing points brought by Crooks’ usual success in the paint.
Iowa State’s bench players made up 38% of the team’s overall score, with junior guard/forward Sydney Harris leading the team with a new career high of 24 points.
Harris’ shots contributed to half of the Cyclones’ success from behind the arc as she made five out of her nine attempted 3-pointers, overall going 9-for-14 from field goal range.
On top of Harris’s success, the Cyclones proved once again their team has depth as sophomore forward Alisa Williams contributed six points on three made shots in her limited time off the bench.
Freshman guard Reagan Wilson, though she did not contribute scoring-wise as she ended the game with zero points, held her own defensively and sent easy passes to top performers, giving her three assists.
Arizona’s lack of consistency
Iowa State held the lead for 39 minutes against Arizona. On top of the Cyclones’ strong defensive strategies throughout the game, which brought them five steals, three blocks and 32 defensive rebounds.
The Wildcats’ lack of accuracy shooting was the ultimate decision-maker for the game. Arizona shot 39% from field goal range after going 22-for-56, along with a 39% success rate at the 3-point line after going 7-for-18 from behind the arc.
Despite having shots at pivotal moments, such as a half-court, buzzer-beater heave by freshman guard Lauryn Swann right before halftime, the Wildcats were left outscored by the Cyclones during three periods. A majority of their points came from two-pointers contributed by sophomore guard Jada Williams, who had a team-high of 17 points.
