With an 83-70 final, No.11 Iowa State found itself unable to handle the pressure in yet another Big 12 competition. West Virginia’s defensive pressure allowed the team to earn its third straight conference road win.
In the defeat, Iowa State’s use of newfound starters displayed a game full of suspense. With two juniors, guard Arianna Jackson and forward Addy Brown, missing due to injuries, the Cyclones were forced to expect more out of their bench.
Across the board, the Mountaineers’ aggressive defense forced the Cyclones into crucial game-costing mistakes. Between keeping Iowa State out of scoring plays and forcing turnovers, West Virginia looked like the higher-ranked team in the matchup.
With key players like Jackson and Brown missing from the equation, the Sunday game displayed anything from junior center Audi Crooks dropping her first three of the season to freshman guard Reese Beaty gaining 28 minutes of playing time.
From the beginning, the Mountaineers excelled at forcing turnovers, which in turn would become 48% of their scoring. In the first half, Iowa State committed 12 turnovers, which West Virginia converted into 15 points.
“That’s kind of part of what we do [turnovers], that’s our M.O.,” head coach Mark Kellogg said. “[Reese] Beaty battled, but that’s a freshman going through it for the first time, but we really wanted to key in on Jada [Williams] too and just kind of limit her too and be disruptive.”
The second half gave the Cyclones an opportunity for a comeback, with 13 turnovers and 15 points off turnovers for the Mountaineers, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
With an overall field goal percentage of 46%, Iowa State only found 21 of its 46 field goal attempts connecting, while the lack of defense in West Virginia’s zone landed 33 of 65 field goals, with a 51% field goal percentage
Although turnovers credited West Virginia plenty of scoring, the defense in Iowa State’s paint pushed the Mountaineers to dominate the paint. Between paint points, West Virginia dropped 44 compared to Iowa State’s 20.
In a game full of shifted offensive combinations for the Cyclones’ newfound flow, senior forward Sydney Harris and sophomore guard Reagan Wilson played key roles despite the defeat.
With Brown out, Harris has filled the forward spot for the second consecutive game. In 30 minutes, Harris dropped 15 points and three rebounds.
Alongside Harris, Wilson found herself playing 28 minutes to put up 11 points, two rebounds and an assist.
“It’s always nice to see your hard work pay off, but at the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done and you know it’s still a hard one to swallow,” Wilson said.
As new players took the spotlight, their performances fell behind those of a West Virginia duo. Senior guard Jordan Harrison and graduate student forward Kierra Wheeler displayed game-winning performances.
Harrison dropped 19 points in 39 minutes alongside five rebounds and eight assists.
The Minneapolis native Wheeler had 22 relatives in attendance while she dropped 25 points, seven rebounds and one assist. A near-homecoming reunion pushed Wheeler to claim the leading scorer title in the matchup.
“Teams lose games, you know, we’re down bodies that are big pieces, so you know no one feels sorry for us,” Harris said. “It’s a time where we just have to pull together and figure out things.”
With another loss added to Iowa State’s record, the team looks to rebound when it heads to Colorado to face the Buffaloes on Wednesday.
All quotes used are provided by the CyclonesTV website.
