AMES, IA- The regular season came to an end, but Iowa State’s winning streak continued.
The Iowa State Cyclones (18-11, 9-9 Big 12) welcomed the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (16-13, 6-12 Big 12) into Hilton Coliseum Monday night for a taste of Hilton Magic.
And it was a bitter taste for Oklahoma State as the Cyclones thumped the Cowgirls 61-48 to win their 5th straight Big 12 matchup.
In the emotional night, Iowa State honored their four seniors (Seanna Johnson, Heather Bowe, Jordan Jensen, and Lexi Albrecht) for one final game in Hilton Coliseum. Johnson and Bowe both saw big minutes in the physical match-up while Albrecht and Jensen entered the game at the start and finish.
Entering the first quarter, Oklahoma State took an early 4-0 lead, but that would prove to be the only lead for the Cowgirls through the entirety of the night.
At 7:10, the Cyclones answered back with four points to tie it up then went on to a monumental 7-0 scoring run to finish the quarter with a comfortable 19-8 lead.
In the second frame, the Cowgirls improved their free-throw percentage to .273 against Iowa State’s .250, but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome the first quarter deficit. The Cyclones led 33-22 at halftime.
The bottom half of the contest was no different from the first as Iowa State received offensive production from all of it’s calibers. The Oklahoma State offensive weapon, Kaylee Jensen, led the team with 12 points, but didn’t see much court time once she fell into foul trouble in the third.
Once Jensen was fouled out in the fourth, Iowa State was able to hold their solid lead through the remainder of the game to top the Cowgirls 61-48.
Johnson and Buckley both racked up big-time numbers and finished with 18 points and 15 points, respectively.
Next, Iowa State will head to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City for the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The Cyclones will enter the tournament at the No. 5 seed and are set to face No. 4 Kansas State on Saturday at 11 a.m..
