Iowa State women’s basketball looks to carry momentum into Big 12 Tournament

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Jack MacDonald/Iowa State Daily

Redshirt junior Jadda Buckley shoots during Iowa State’s 61-48 win over Oklahoma State on senior night at Hilton Coliseum. Buckley finished with 15 points in the final regular season game. 

Aaron Marner

Seanna Johnson has a long list of accomplishments from her time as a Cyclone.

She was named All-Big 12 first team as a junior in 2016. She ranks in the top 10 in school history in both points and rebounds. Johnson’s teams have knocked off multiple top-10 schools and she has been a part of two NCAA Tournament teams.

What is her résumé missing?

When Iowa State (18-11, 9-9 Big 12) squares off with No. 24 Kansas State (21-9, 11-7 Big 12) on Saturday at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Johnson will be looking for her first career win at the Big 12 Tournament.

“I think since I’ve been here I haven’t won the first game,” Johnson said. “So going out there and just fighting hard and knowing we have a chance to beat K-State because we have beat them before … we just gotta go out there and everyone has to stick on board and everyone has to fight and play hard.”

The Big 12 Tournament is a bit different for Iowa State this season.

The Cyclones finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak, whereas last year’s team lost its final four games of the regular season.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2012-13 to find the last time Iowa State ended the regular season with a win. That 2012-13 team, coincidentally, won two games at the Big 12 Tournament.

Point guard Jadda Buckley said the team is looking at the Big 12 Tournament as a way to solidify its NCAA Tournament hopes.

“I think we have a really good matchup going into it with K-State,” Buckley said. “They were our last loss with our five-game winning streak, so I think this is kind of a little good motivation.

“We’re just playing at a higher level now. Our game style has changed.”

Sophomore Bridget Carleton, who was recently unanimously selected to the All-Big 12 first team, pointed to Iowa State’s win at West Virginia as a turning point in the season. The Cyclones have won six of their seven games since that road win.

“When you start off 1-6 in the Big 12 it’s never a good thing,” Carleton said. “And we were so close in so many of those games and that doesn’t do anything but hurt your confidence.

“Getting that win at West Virginia … that kind of re-lit the excitement and showed us what we can do and who we can be for the rest of the year.”

It has almost been like an entirely new season since the calendar flipped to February, and that momentum is something Iowa State wants to carry into March.

“The seniors are obviously huge,” Carleton said. “They want to go off on a good note.

“We’re gonna take it one game at a time, and for the seniors, it’s some of their last games they’re gonna play in an Iowa State uniform and we’re gonna do everything we can to make that positive experiences for them and go off on a good note.”