NORMAN, Okla. – The Iowa State womens basketball team (9-5, 1-2 Big 12) fell 81-72 at Oklahoma (9-6, 2-1 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at the Lloyd Noble Center. Ashley Joens scored a team-high 21 points, but the Cyclones were unable to overcome a hot shooting performance from the Sooners, who knocked down 68.8 percent from the field in the second half.
How It Happened
The Cyclone offense got a much-needed boost from senior Adriana Camber, who knocked down a pair of first-quarter triples to keep Iowa State within striking distance early. Cambers back-to-back 3-pointers were ISUs only field goals over a 5:10 stretch, but the Sooner lead was just 17-14 after 10 minutes of play thanks to a stingy Cyclone defensive effort to close the period.
Iowa State wrestled away momentum in the second stanza with an 8-0 spurt to go ahead 26-22 with 4:47 to play in the half. The Cyclones found success inside, scoring their first 10 points of the second quarter on looks around the basket. Sophomore Ashley Joens would then hit a triple in the closing moments of the half to end a 7-0 Sooner run, putting the Cyclones in front 36-34 at the intermission. Camber led all scorers with 11 points on a tidy 4-of-5 shooting performance in the first half.
Oklahomas Taylor Robertson scored the first six points of the second half, followed by back-to-back buckets from Ashley Joens to tie the game at 40-40 at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter. The teams would trade punches throughout the quarter, including a 3-pointer from freshman Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw to give Iowa State a brief 43-42 lead. However, OU strung together another 11-2 spurt to close the period, as Iowa State went the final 4:11 without a field goal. The Sooners held a 63-53 lead with 10 minutes to play.
The Cyclones continued to battle, closing the deficit to 77-70 on a Rae Johnson and-one with 1:57 to play in the game. However, that was as close as the Cyclones would get, with Oklahoma holding on for an 81-72 win.
Players Of Note
Ashley Joens scored a team-high 21 points on the afternoon, knocking down 9-of-14 field goal attempts, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Joens also tallied three rebounds and a block in 34 minutes of action.
Adriana Camber scored 11 points, all coming the first half, to go with three assists and two rebounds.
Next Up
Iowa State returns home to take on TCU on Wednesday at 6:30 at Hilton Coliseum.
