Iowa State faltered in the Big 12 Conference opener against Oklahoma State Saturday. Due to mistakes in the fourth quarter, the Cyclones could not handle the transition phase and pressurized situations, resulting in an 81-75 loss.

Stuck in many scoring drought situations and left following the Cowgirls from the first quarter, Iowa State found its rhythm in the last minutes of the third quarter, minimizing the score to a five-point difference.

However, the Cyclones struggled to handle the pressure, which became evident as their aggression resulted in personal fouls, allowing Oklahoma State to extend its lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 

As the clock ticked down, Iowa State’s failure to make shots consistently and defensive mistakes contributed to the Cyclones losing their first conference game.

Oklahoma State’s offense proves to be unstoppable 

With a repetitive motion of Iowa State winning the jump ball, the Cyclones were thrown in for a loop as the Cowgirls took hold of the jump ball and secured the first two points of the game, which were taken from the free throw line due to a shooting foul brought on by sophomore guard Arianna Jackson.

Cowgirls senior guard Anna Gret Asi took the first-minute jitters shown by Iowa State as a way to grow Oklahoma State’s lead by securing eight points in the first few minutes of play and had 10 points at the end of the first quarter.

Following Gret Asi’s momentum, junior guard Micah Gray proved to be a strong 3-point shooter, as she earned six points from her two successful shots behind the arc in the first quarter. Her early points contributed to her 24-point total, due to her six successful shots from the 3-point line, four secured free throws and one shot in the paint.

Fifth-year senior guard Alexia Smith and freshman guard Jadyn Wooten enhanced the Cowgirls first quarter lead to seven points due to their combined six field goal points.

With Oklahoma State’s strong start of 22 points in the first quarter, which marked its best offensive quarter of the game, the early momentum allowed them to maintain the lead for 38 minutes and achieve its largest run of 17 points early in the third quarter.

Third-quarter offense shines

Clearly growing tired of the continuous lead the Cowgirls possessed, Iowa State intensified its offense in the third quarter resulting in the 10 minutes of play being the game’s highest-scoring quarter as the Cyclones secured 28 points.

Most of the points came from sophomore center Audi Crooks, who found her rhythm after the extensive defense throughout the first half. Crooks scored 17 points in the paint after she made eight out of her 10 attempted shots, contributing to her overall team-high of 28 points.

On top of Crooks’ consistency in the paint shots, which contributed to 40% of the Cyclones’ overall score, spontaneous 3-pointers helped bridge the gap to four points leading into the fourth quarter.

The nine points from beyond the arc came from junior guard/forward Sydney Harris’ one successful shot and sophomore guard Kelsey Joens’ two 3-pointers.

Along with Crooks and sophomore forward Addy Brown’s 100% success rate from the free-throw line in the third quarter, the Cyclones offense reached a high point. 

However, their newfound rhythm quickly diminished in the last-minute efforts during the fourth quarter as the Cowgirls’ early lead and free throws sealed their win.

Personal fouls get in the way of a win

Entering the game, Iowa State’s defense appeared to rely on aggression. However, its minor mistakes, such as applying unnecessary pressure and overcommitting on attacks, led to many points being scored by Oklahoma State and resulted in personal fouls.

These personal fouls led freshman guard Reagan Wilson to be fouled out in the last pressurized minutes of the fourth quarter. Crooks and Brown were on thin ice in the last minutes of play due to each having four personal fouls. 

In contrast to both teams attaining 21 personal fouls, the Cyclones limited shooting opportunities from the Cowgirls as they had 12 turnovers, two blocks, two steals and 26 defensive rebounds.

However, Iowa State’s wrong defensive placement led to Oklahoma State gaining various opportunities from the free throw line, strengthening its lead throughout the game and securing its win.

The Cowgirls had an 84% success rate from the free throw line as they shot 21-for-25 from the charity stripe, contributing to 26% of their overall score.