No. 4 Baylor takes down ISU women’s basketball at Hilton
Emily Blobaum/Iowa State Daily
Claire Ricketts, redshirt freshman forward, goes in for a layup during the game against Baylor on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Bears would go on to give the Cyclones their third loss in a row, winning 77-61.
January 23, 2016
The ISU women’s basketball team hoped some Hilton magic was in the air as it took on No. 4 Baylor on Saturday.
Iowa State kept it close early on with its 2-3 zone defense and effective offense. After the first quarter, the Cyclones shot 42.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. Iowa State only trailed No. 4 Baylor by two points after one quarter of play.
However, the top-ranked Lady Bears found their rhythm late in the second quarter when they went on a 10-4 run. The momentum shifted by halftime when Baylor led Iowa State, 37-26. The Cyclones couldn’t seem to keep up with the Lady Bears. Baylor was shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from three heading into halftime.
Iowa State got a sense of urgency in the second half when redshirt sophomore Jadda Buckley and junior Seanna Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Baylor’s lead to five at the seven-minute mark in the third quarter. It started to look promising for the Cyclones, but the Lady Bears turned around and increased their lead back to 10 points midway through the third.
The Cyclones didn’t seem to go away until Johnson hurt her left knee after a hard foul with 1:52 left in the third quarter. She got a standing ovation as she needed help off the court, but she came back quick in the fourth quarter and returned to the game. Johnson finished with 22 points, which led Iowa State.
After Johnson’s brief injury, Baylor turned it on. The Lady Bears went on a 12-0 run that started in the third quarter and went into the fourth. At one point, Baylor had a 23-point lead over Iowa State. The final score was 77-61 in No. 4 Baylor’s favor.
Johnson led Iowa State with 22 points. She only had four rebounds, which is rare for her as, normally, she’s a double-double machine. Baylor’s height may have been a factor with that. Freshman Meredith Burkhall had 12 points and two rebounds, and freshman Bridget Carleton had nine points, five rebounds and an assist.
Iowa State’s next Big 12 opponent will be TCU on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. in Ames. The Cyclones hope to turn it around and improve their (3-4) Big 12 record against the Horned Frogs.
