It was no secret that the ISU women’s basketball team had its hands full against Oklahoma State (11-2, 1-1 Big 12) on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum, especially from OSU star, Brittney Martin. 

But Iowa State (10-3, 2-0 Big 12) rose to that challenge and shut down one of the best players in the Big 12. 

Martin finished the game with six points on 3-of-9 shooting, well below her season average of 24.0 points per game. Iowa State also forced Martin into foul trouble midway through the third quarter, limiting her time on the court. 

It all culminated in a 49-42 victory, the team’s eighth straight win, where the Cyclones were out-shot and out-rebounded, but dominated in almost every other statistic. 

When asked what the key was to stopping Martin, ISU guard Seanna Johnson smiled. 

“Kidd Blaskowsky,” she replied.  

Blaskowsky guarded Martin for most of the game and took some bumps and bruises along the way. Her mindset going into the game was to take those hits, but stay close to Martin to keep her away from open looks. 

“The goal for me was I don’t care how many screens I get hit by. I don’t care how many shots she gets of. I’m going to get in her grill as much as possible,” Blaskowsky said. “I don’t care what she did, I got in her grill. You take pride in those things.”

In the past two seasons, Martin averaged double-digit points against the Cyclones, but on Saturday, ISU coach Bill Fennelly put a game plan together in hopes of containing the All-American. 

“[Martin] has just killed us every time we’ve played them,” Fennelly said. “So we wanted to make sure we had a player and a half on her.” 

Martin and the Cowgirls came to Ames riding high off an upset victory over No. 4 Baylor on Dec. 30. Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds in that game.

Early on against Iowa State, the Cowgirls slowed the Cyclones’ momentum and led by as much as seven. 

Iowa State couldn’t find its mark from the field throughout the game, shooting 22.6 percent. But thanks to some solid free-throw shooting and more than a few turnovers from the Cowgirls, the Cyclones started to inch ahead. 

“The way we were shooting from the field, we just told our kids to really attack them,” Fennelly said. “Try to get some fouls, try to get to the free-throw line. That’s the only way we could score. I don’t think I’ve ever coached a game where we’ve made 12 field goals and won.” 

Iowa State made 22 of its 25 free throws with 11 of the makes coming in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones were also helped by Johnson’s fourth-quarter performance. She had nine points in the final 10 minutes and scored Iowa State’s first six points in the quarter. 

Johnson has become a go-to player for Iowa State, especially when it needs to close out a game. So much so, she has become a major headache for opposing coaches. 

“I went through the line and I asked her, ‘Are you about ready to graduate?'” said OSU coach Jim Littell. “She’s one of those kids that seems like she’s been around for eight years. I think she is one of the top four or five players in the conference, no question.”

Ever since the Cyclones lost to Idaho in November, Iowa State has gone on a tear, winning eight straight games. Iowa State now has a chance at its biggest win of the season against No. 5 Texas on Wednesday. 

“[The Big 12] is the best conference in the world, I think” Blaskowsky said. “If you come out ready to play,… the game is up for any team, whether they’re ranked or not ranked, whether they’re All-Americans or not.”