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Seanna Johnson returned to the Iowa State lineup and finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, but 13 three pointers helped West Virginia race past the Cyclones for an 82-57 victory on Tuesday night at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones finish the regular season with a 13-16 record and 5-13 in the Big 12.
The Cyclones could not do much right early on Senior Night and were in a 0-12 hole before Bridget Carleton got Iowa State on the board with 3:48 left in the 1st quarter. Unlike other contests this season in which Iowa State has hung around opponents with its defense, the Mountaineers had 20 points after the first 10 minutes. Seanna Johnson boosted the Cyclones with a couple consecutive buckets, but Iowa State could only manage eight points on 20% shooting in the 1st quarter.
West Virginia extended the lead with a pair of three pointers that put the Mountaineers up by 19 with under seven minutes to play in the 2nd quarter. Midway through the quarter, Johnson had 11 points, but only two other Cyclones had scored. In the final five minutes of the half, Iowa State found some life and got as close as 24-33 on a banked basket from Madison Baier. The Mountaineers shot 9-16 from three-point range in the first half to take a 15-point lead into the locker room.
The Mountaineers opened up the 2nd half with two baskets to build a 20-point lead. Iowa State was able to stop West Virginia from hitting more three pointers, but the away team began to drive the lane with ease. The game was never really in question during the 2nd half as WVU maintained a 20-point buffer throughout the final 20 minutes. Jadda Buckley added 14 points and six assists for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones now look toward the Big 12 Tournament, which begins on Friday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Iowa State is set to face Texas Tech in the first game of the tournament on Friday at 6pm. The Cyclones went 1-1 against the Lady Raiders this season, but they defeated Texas Tech 77-48 at Hilton Coliseum just two weeks ago.