Iowa State failed to complete the season sweep of No. 22 Oklahoma State, moving the Cyclones to 10-14 (4-9 Big 12). The Cowgirls were backed by Kaylee Jensen’s 35 points en route to an 81-73 win. 

Here are three takeaways from the game. 

Comeback Kids nearly execute the impossible

Most times when you’re down 20 points at halftime, the game is out of reach. Heck, being down 26 points with 4:04 left in the second quarter is even a daunting sight to see. 

So @CycloneWBB was once down 26, now only down 2 entering the 4th. Join us on @cyclonestv

— Brent Blum (@brentblum) February 11, 2018

“We’ve had a problem all year long thinking leads are safe,” said Oklahoma State head coach Jim Littell. “I knew [Iowa State] got a little momentum right before the half and knew it wasn’t safe by any stretch of imagination… Durr always plays extremely well against us.”

But with Hilton Magic still circulating the air ducts of Hilton Coliseum from the Iowa State men’s win over No. 17 Oklahoma earlier in the day, the women mounted a comeback that nearly blew the roof off the arena. 

Enter Emily Durr and Madison Wise. The senior and freshman used a 30-point third quarter to vault the Cyclones right back into the game. Durr dropped 13 points while Wise countered with 11 of her own. The Cowgirls found themselves on the wrong end of a 28-11 run and their lead was cut to just two. 

“We came together as a team and obviously showed fight in the second half,” Wise said. “Just gotta come together and play a full game.”

However, the fourth quarter didn’t go as planned for a struggling Iowa State team. The Cyclones got within as many as one point just seconds into the final frame, but Jensen was not going to leave Ames without a win. 

The senior netted 16 points in a the final ten minutes to dash an hopes Iowa State had at a comeback. And just like that, No. 22 Oklahoma State got its revenge from the Cyclones’ win on Jan. 24 in Stillwater. 

“It’s for sure frustrating,” Wise said of a near comeback falling short. 

Hot start goes Cowgirls’ way

If the first five minutes of Saturday’s game was any indication on how many points were going to be scored, it should have been a lot. The Cowgirls and Cyclones torched the hoops going 12-for-14 to start the game. 

Both teams were on pace to score 120 points at the halfway mark of the first quarter, but much like the sub-zero temperatures outside, the Cyclones went cold, very cold. They ended the first quarter going 0-for-10 after going 6-for-7 in the first four minutes of the game. 

“It’s tough to spot someone a 26-point lead and expect to have a chance,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. “It’s just mind-boggling.”

While the Cyclones cooled off, the Cowgirls remained hot and shot 9-for-14 in the quarter. Much like Jensen’s fourth quarter show, Loryn Goodwin splashed in 11 points for the Cowgirls, putting them ahead by nine after the first quarter. 

While the hot start showed promise, Fennelly was quick to comment on his teams shooting struggles. The Cyclones ended the night shooting 24-for-65 (36.9 percent). And it also doesn’t help when you leave five freebies at the charity stripe. 

“You gotta make a lay up,” Fennelly said. “You gotta make an open three… The way they were making shots we had to keep scoring and we didn’t.”

Jensen, Goodwin feast on Cyclones again

All week leading up to this rematch, Fennelly praised the play of Jensen and Goodwin. He even as far as saying the Cyclones jumpstarted Jensen’s career after she had scored 89 points in her last five outings against his squad. 

And tonight was no different. After Bridget Carleton stole the show with 39 points the teams’ first go around, Jensen netted 35 points while Goodwin had 23. Tonight, Carleton was not a factor for the most part, scoring just 13 points.

“[For] Jensen and Goodwin we had no answers for them,” Fennelly said. “They were on the scouting report, believe it or not.”

While Jensen and Goodwin had themselves a night, so did Wise and Durr. The two, especially Durr, have come on strong down the back half of Iowa State’s Big 12 schedule. Wise had a team-high and career-high 21 points, compared to Durr’s 19 points. 

“That’s what Maddie [Wise] can do,” Carleton said of Wise’s performance. “She can really kill you from behind the arc, she can rebound, she’s a versatile player, she can do it all. That’s exciting she’s only a freshman and the skies the limit.”

Unfortunately for those two, the credit goes to Goodwin and Jensen for willing their team to a tough victory in a daunted Big 12 venue.