Having lost four of its first five Big 12 games, the Iowa State women’s basketball team desperately needed a win at Texas Tech. They did just that en route to the Cyclones’ (8-9, 2-4 Big 12) 66-54 win over the Red Raiders (6-11, 0-6 Big 12). 

Here are three takeaways from Iowa State’s win. 

Big win before tough stretch

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Cyclones were deep into a four-game losing streak and only one thing could give them momentum heading into the gauntlet portion of their schedule: a win. 

“Happy to win,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “It’s good to see our team smile and they haven’t smiled in awhile.”

The last two games came down to the wire, but tonight was anything but close as Texas Tech was already down 22-11 after just one quarter. That lead was extended to 42-24 by halftime and the Red Raiders were already out of reach from snagging a much-needed win of their own. 

In the next five games, Iowa State’s opponents are Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Texas and TCU. The combined record of those five teams are 67-15. TCU is at the bottom of the list with a record of 12-5. 

“This league can just, I mean it just beats you down,” Fennelly said. “We lost a close game to Oklahoma, we lost a close game to Kansas State [and] we’ve competed really hard.

“We lost a close game at West Virginia, but that’s the nature of this league.”

However, the most feared team will be Baylor, the same Bears team that handed the Cyclones a 40-point loss less than two weeks ago. That loss was the worst of Fennelly’s tenure at the helm of Iowa State.

One positive, however, is the Cyclones took then-No. 12 West Virginia down to the wire before losing by eight. The Cyclones host that Mountaineers team on Jan. 20, three days after hosting Baylor.   

Carleton aided by a duo of teammates

All year, star junior guard Bridget Carleton has willed her team to victory, or in the Cyclones’ case, multiple heartbreaking losses. And all year Carleton has seen a plethora of teammates fill in as her sidekick. Last game, it was junior forward Bride Kennedy-Hopoate who chipped in 17 points against Kansas State. 

“We’ve done a pretty decent job most of the year, considering we’re playing without a really true point guard,” Fennelly said. “We kind of do it by committee.”

Tonight, Emily Durr and Madison Wise rose to the occasion. Wise posted a game-high 17 points and Durr was close behind with 15. This was the second game in a row in which Carleton did not lead the Cyclones in points. 

Durr and Wise’s performance gave the Cyclones their first win in Lubbock since 2014 when Iowa State won 85-76 in overtime. The win also gave Iowa State its largest margin of victory on Texas Tech’s home floor. 

Carleton did chip in with 12 points while going 4-for-17 from the field. While Wise paced the Cyclones with 17 points, Durr was the one that posted the best all-around performance. To go with her 15 points, the senior tacked on six rebounds and five assists. 

Heading into its toughest stretch of the season, Iowa State will need players such as Wise and Durr to step up and assist Carleton with the workload. 

Post play goes to sleep again

It was just a game ago that Kennedy-Hopoate had a dominating performance and in that same game Meredith Burkhall added seven points. 

Tonight, though, much like a large portion of the season, Iowa State’s bigs appeared to have missed the flight down to Lubbock. The Cyclones slid Kennedy-Hopoate back into the starting lineup, but the Aussie picked up two quick fouls and ultimately fouled out of the contest. She ended her night with four points and two rebounds.  

“We tried to go big for awhile because they were so big,” Fennelly said. “It hurt out ball handling a lot, so we decided to go small and live with that.”

Burkhall joined the JUCO transfer as a starter, but only added six points to Iowa State’s 66. In 19 minutes of playing time, Burkhall grabbed only three rebounds to go with three personal fouls. 

Scott, the only other post player to get minutes tonight, finished with three points and paced the three with four rebounds. Scott’s limited minutes put her in a spot to pick up just one personal foul. 

“We didn’t get much in the post,” Fennelly said. “Which we didn’t think we would against their size… luckily those other kids stepped it up.” 

While Iowa State won the rebounding battle and the game with minimal contribution from its post players, there is little to no chance that those three can post that same performance and expect to come out of the gauntlet on a high note.