Iowa State simply couldn’t keep up with Teana Muldrow and the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers, falling 69-59 on Saturday evening. 

Iowa State started all three of its freshmen for the first time this season as Emily Durr made way for Rae Johnson. The Cyclones’ youth movement was short-lived, though, as Kristin Scott was subbed out within two minutes of tip-off. The Cyclones had six turnovers in the first quarter and trailed the No. 17 Mountaineers, 16-11. 

Emily Durr scored 12 points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting to lead the Cyclones as junior guard Bridget Carleton struggled, going 1-for-6 and only scoring two points. The Cyclones trailed 36-23 at the break.

As the game became somewhat stagnant in the third quarter, West Virginia began to pull away. The Mountaineers pushed their lead to 53-32 and at the end of three the Cyclones trailed 58-41. 

Iowa State’s offense continued to struggle as the fourth quarter began. The Cyclones shot only 36.2 percent for the game. However, Iowa State tightened up its defense and staged a late comeback, trimming the deficit to seven with 33.5 seconds to play.

In the end, though, Teana Muldrow’s 27-point performance was enough for West Virginia to leave Hilton with a 69-59 victory and drop the Cyclones to 8-11 on the season, 2-6 in the Big 12.

Iowa State hits the road to Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, Jan. 24 to take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.