Recap: Hawkeyes Use Hot Shooting Night to Race Past Cyclone Women

A game that initially appeared like it might be a defensive slugfest turned into a rout on Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where the Iowa State women's basketball team lost to Iowa 76-88.

Iowa State, now 6-2 on the season, simply couldn't keep pace with a sharp-shooting Hawkeye squad that made 57 percent from the field and held the Cyclones to just six three pointers.

The home team hasn't lost a game in the series since the Cyclones won in Iowa City in 2006. On Wednesday, Jadda Buckley led the way for Iowa State with 21 points. Seanna Johnson and Bridget Carleton both added 18 points for the Cyclones.

Buckley started with a quick six points for Iowa State, and the Cyclones and Hawkeyes were knotted up early at 8-8 midway through the 1st quarter. The Cyclones held Iowa scoreless for over four minutes in the 1st quarter, but Iowa State had offensive troubles as well, and the Hawkeyes built a 15-12 lead with a 7-0 run at the end of the quarter.

The Cyclones started 0-9 from three-point range before Johnson finally drained a trey that gave Iowa State a 17-15 lead with 7:45 to play in the 2nd quarter. The Iowa State defense went missing at inopportune times throughout the evening, including during an 11-0 run that helped the Hawkeyes surge to a 26-17 lead. Iowa got its lead to 31-18, and the Cyclones were forced to bring Bridget Carleton back into the game, even though the sophomore had two fouls.

Coach Bill Fennelly's gambit was largely unsuccessful, and, despite some offensive production from Carleton, Iowa State could not make a dent in the Hawkeye lead. Iowa capped off a half in which it went 8-14 from beyond the arc with another three that gave the Hawkeyes a 43-28 lead at the break.

Heather Bowe returned for Iowa State following an ankle injury that kept the graduate transfer out for the previous four games. Bowe finished with just one point and two rebounds.

In the 3rd quarter, the Cyclones shot the ball much better than in the first 20 minutes, but Iowa simply could not be defended. A three pointer by Johnson with 3:09 to play in the 3rd brought Iowa State within 47-60, and Buckley hit another deep shot moments later that pulled the Cyclones within a dozen points, but the Hawkeyes still held a 67-51 advantage with 10 minutes to play.

Things did not improve much in the 4th quarter. Iowa extended its lead to over 20 points, and, although the Cyclones used a 13-1 run to get as close as 67-77 - and later 74-83 - Iowa ultimately secured its seventh win of the season. Buckley, Johnson, and Carleton have consistently produced for Iowa State throughout the year, but the Cyclones could certainly use another serious contributor. On Wednesday, the next highest scorer was Emily Durr, who added seven points.

Iowa State returns to Ames to play Northern Illinois on Sunday at 2pm.