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Iowa State secured an 86-46 win against Southern on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum. The victory moved the Cyclones to 4-3 on the year.
The Cyclones were stagnant on offense early in the game and finished the 1st quarter just 4-15 from the floor. Six free throws helped Iowa State hold a 15-10 lead over the Jaguars at the first break. TeeTee Starks and Bryanna Fernstrom started for Iowa State, but freshman Bridget Carleton was out for her third straight full game. Carleton is recovering from a mouth injury she sustained against Duke on Nov. 27, which forced the Canadian to have oral surgery. The Cyclones need her to be healthy for Friday's contest against Iowa.
Freshman Meredith Burkhall boosted the Cyclones with three straight field goals midway through the 2nd quarter to extend Iowa State's lead to 26-17. Burkhall finished the half with 12 points on 6-9 shooting. The Cyclones continued to get fouled in the 2nd quarter but shot just 58% from the free throw line in the first half. However, Iowa State limited Southern to just one made free throw in the first 20 minutes. The Cyclones were slowed offensively with nine first-half turnovers but held a 28-20 rebounding advantage after the 2nd quarter. Iowa State went into the locker room with a 37-23 lead.
Iowa State jumped out of the gate in the 3rd quarter with 11 points on its first six possessions to take a commanding 48-27 lead over the Jaguars. Southern put Iowa State into the bonus with just over four minutes elapsed in the 3rd quarter, and Iowa State took advantage with 10 made free throws for a 65-42 cushion heading into the 4th quarter.
The Cyclones were able to give the reserves some playing time in the 4th quarter. Meredith Burkhall finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Seanna Johnson had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Jadda Buckley added 16 points, and Kidd Blaskowsky contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Of note, senior post player Madison Baier will not see the court for the rest of the season because of an ACL injury.
The Cyclones and Hawkeyes meet at Hilton Coliseum on Friday, December 11th at 7pm. A Bill Fennelly squad has never lost to Iowa at Hilton.