Three takeaways: Iowa State squeaks out win at TCU

Jack Macdonald
February 14, 2018

Looking to avenge a Jan. 30 loss to TCU, Iowa State did just that in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cyclones overcame a slow start to defeat the Horned Frogs 66-63. 

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Second quarter push 

When TCU and Iowa State met on Jan. 30, the two teams wasted no time finding their offense. However, today’s clash was a little bit different. Tonight, after 10 minutes of play, the score sat at just 10-9 in favor of the Horned Frogs. 

The Cyclones hit just three field goals (two 3-pointers) in the first quarter. TCU struggled just as much, also going 3-for-15 from the field. Its four freebies from the charity stripe made the difference. Remarkably, Iowa State junior Bridget Carleton was held scoreless. 

In fact, Carleton didn’t hit her first shot until there was just 1:52 left in the first half. Both the Cyclones and Horned Frogs had already started to heat up at that point. Senior Emily Durr also hopped in on the scoring affair and recorded a seven-point second quarter performance. 

On the TCU side, Dakota Vann came of the bench to scored 11 points in the quarter. In the end, TCU took a 28-25 lead into the half after outscoring the Cyclones 18-16 in the second quarter. 

Carleton, Cyclones combat slow start in third quarter

Similarly to the slow starts both teams had, Carleton, like mentioned before, started to heat up right before the two teams went into the half. Carleton used the last 1:52 on the second quarter to jumpstart her night, which took off in the third quarter. Carleton started the game going 0-for-6 from the field, but then went 4-for-4 for nine points after that. 

When TCU beat the Cyclones 75-52 in the first meeting, the Horned Frogs utilized a massive third quarter to pull away from the Cyclones. The second time around, it was the Cyclones that used the third quarter as a springboard going into the final 10 minutes.

The key to that third quarter? 

A 14-4 run out of halftime. Considering the Cyclones were 4-4 in Big 12 games in which they tied or outscored their opponents in the third quarter, it was a good sign for the Cyclones. It was the third game in a row in which Iowa State won the third quarter. In those three games, the Cyclones outscored their opponents 74-32 in that third quarter. 

Carleton led the Cyclones with 12 points in the big third quarter, but that didn’t mean the game was theirs. 

Fourth quarter battle

With Iowa State making that run in the fourth quarter, it was only time until TCU responded. It didn’t take long at all for that response. TCU opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit one point. However, Carleton responded. 

And Carleton responded again. The Canadian answered from her 13-point performance on Saturday against Oklahoma State with a 26-point explosion tonight. She moved into 18th on Iowa State’s all-time scoring list. 

While Carleton shined in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t her performance that necessarily won the game. That title, perhaps, could be given to senior Claire Ricketts. Ricketts recorded 13 rebounds and six blocks. The Texas native had a similar performance when the Cyclones took down Oklahoma State on the road. She recored zero points that game, but stole the show on the boards.

Tonight, she had just two points, but grabbed a rebound as time expired that secured the win for Iowa State. 

After a battle royale in the fourth quarter, the win secured Iowa State’s fourth win on the road in the Big 12. That brings its overall record to 5-9 in league play, meaning the Cyclones haven’t won a home game in the Big 12 since taking down Kansas on Dec. 28.