Iowa State Women Beat Iowa In Another Hilton Thriller

The drama returned to Hilton Coliseum Friday night, as the Iowa State Cyclones defeated the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes 69-66. Iowa State trailed by as many as 11 points midway through the 3rd quarter before rallying. Seanna Johnson led Iowa State with 22 points and added 10 rebounds, her fifth double double of the season. Bill Fennelly has never lost to the Hawkeyes at Hilton, and his 2015-16 Cyclones move to 5-3 on the season.

Iowa State and Iowa each made concerted efforts to work the ball inside early in the 1st quarter. Jadda Buckley tied the game at 8-8 and the Cyclones used a balanced offensive attack to end the 1st quarter with a 14-12 lead. Iowa State was stellar on defense in the opening period, holding Iowa to 25% shooting and blocking five Hawkeye shots. Coming into Friday, Iowa State only averaged 2.6 blocked shots per game.

Both teams went without scoring for several possessions early in the 2nd quarter. Iowa guard Alexa Kastanek took the lid off the hoop with a three pointer to put Iowa ahead 17-14, but Kidd Blaskowsky responded with a trey of her own for the Cyclones. The lead changed hands eight times in the first half, and neither team lead by more than five points in the first 20 minutes. Ally Disterhoft knocked down two free throws at the end of the 2nd quarter to extend Iowa's lead to 33-28.

After the halftime break, Iowa got five quick points from Chase Coley to guide the Hawkeyes to a 38-28 advantage with 8:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Iowa State answered, but Iowa continued to find its stride on offense and used a couple timely offensive rebounds to keep Iowa State on its heels. Halfway through the quarter, the Cyclones were able to get a couple key stops and cut Iowa's lead to five points, but Disterhoft answered with a three pointer to halt Iowa State's momentum. The two squads traded baskets for the remainder of the 3rd quarter, but a full-court assist to Meredith Burkhall from Blaskowsky gave the Cyclones a needed boost and just an eight-point deficit heading into the 4th quarter.

Iowa State started with the ball in the 4th quarter and continued its run with a three pointer from Bridget Carleton to cut Iowa's lead to five points with nine minutes to play. Buckley then added a jumper to make it 51-54 and ignite the more than 11,000 fans at Hilton. With 5:34 left in the 4th, Iowa got its first points in over six minutes, but Iowa State used a Johnson layup to tie the game at 55-55 less than a minute later. Buckley hit a three to help Iowa State to a 60-58 lead. The Hawkeyes quickly answered with another trey, but Carleton got two points on a nifty drive for a 62-61 Iowa State advantage. Ahead 64-61 with less than 90 seconds to play, Iowa State was forced to call a timeout, but Johnson scored a layup and drew a foul on an inbounds pass to extend Iowa State's lead to six points. Disterhoft scored three points in the final minute, but she missed two crucial free throws for the Hawkeyes. Johnson was fouled in the final seconds and sank two free throws to secure the three-point victory for the Cyclones.

Carleton did not start, but she returned after a three-game absence and scored 11 points in 29 minutes. Burkhall scored 13 points, and Buckley finished with 12 points.

Iowa State next takes on Arkansas Pine-Bluff at noon on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.