Despite hanging around for three quarters, Texas was simply too good for the Cyclones and Iowa State fell 81-69 on Saturday night.

The quarterfinal matchup got underway with Texas jumping out to an early lead and the Cyclones clawing their way back. Junior guard Bridget Carleton had an early seven points in the first quarter, keeping Iowa State within three after the first 10 minutes. 

Heading into the second quarter with a 20-17 lead, the Longhorns exerted their dominance, pushing their lead up to 18 points at one point. Ariel Atkins led the Longhorns with 12 points at the break, and Carleton had 14 of the Cyclones’ 24 points as the teams went to the locker rooms with Texas up 42-27.

Iowa State clawed its way back into the game on the back of senior guard Emily Durr. In what was her final game as a Cyclone, Durr scored 13 of her 25 points in the third quarter and Iowa State ended the period down 56-47.

Iowa State struggled mightily to stop the Texas offense all game, and the Longhorns shot 55.2 percent from the floor overall. Iowa State only had five players score, but the Cyclones shot 39 percent from the floor and Carleton and Durr combined for 50 points.

However, those 50 points simply weren’t enough. Texas began to rebuild its advantage and with 6:16 left in the game, the Longhorns took a 70-50 lead and put the Cyclones out of reach.

Iowa State ends the year with a record of 14-17 and a 7-11 record in the Big 12.