Iowa State women's basketball beats Texas Tech to set up giant showdown with Baylor on Monday
AMES — The Iowa State women’s basketball team has been battling with Baylor for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference for most of the season. This upcoming Monday’s showdown between the two teams was shaping up to be biggest game of the season and possibly the determining factor in who would win the conference crown.
But all that was only if Iowa State took care of business Saturday against Texas Tech.
The sixth-ranked Cyclones survived an early scare from the Lady Raiders and ultimately did what they needed to do in a 71-55 victory. Iowa State, which won its third straight game, improved to 24-4 on the season and 13-3 in Big 12 play. This 24th win assured the Cyclones they’d stay at the top of the league standings. They entered the day tied with Baylor, Monday's matchup, for first.
With two regular seasons games left on the schedule, the Cyclones control their own destiny in a quest for the program's first Big 12 regular season crown since sharing the title during the 1999-2000 season. The Cyclones face No. 7 Baylor on Monday at Hilton and then finish the regular season on March 5 at West Virginia. A win Monday assures the winner of at least a share of the title.
"If you're not excited about it then we're all doing the wrong thing," Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. "We're excited. We're looking forward to it. It should be a great showcase for our league and our community and our fan base."
Saturday's win for the Cyclones didn't come without a little early suspense. Iowa State stumbled at the end of the first and second quarters and even went the final 3:06 of the first half without a bucket. Texas Tech, which trailed by two at the half, briefly took the lead after back-to-back baskets to start the third quarter.
It didn't last long, though. Iowa State eventually hit its stride when Ashley Joens hit a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a 36-35 lead. Beatriz Jordao added a layup to extend the lead. The Cyclones started to pull away with a 9-0 run to take a 47-37 lead. Iowa State closed out the quarter with a 6-0 run. When it was all said and done, the Cyclones ended up outscoring Texas Tech 22-10 in the third quarter.
Fennelly, who preached improvements on defense to his team at halftime, saw the proper adjustments in the second half.
"I think the biggest thing was our defensive intensity," Iowa State guard Lexi Donarski said. "They were getting to the basket easier than they should have in the first half and getting layups. So, I think we really just picked it up on defense and that's what got us going on the offensive end."
It showed. The Cyclones shot 66.7% (8-for-12) in the third quarter and rolled to 56-41 lead. Texas Tech, which already owned several big wins this season including a road victory at Texas, never could get back in the game. The Lady Raiders fell to 10-17 on the season and 3-13 in Big 12 play with the latest loss.
Joens finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Cyclones. Emily Ryan chipped in 11 points and nine assists. Donarski added 10 points, but her best work came on defense, where she kept Texas Tech's Vivian Gray in check for most of the day. Gray, who entered the day averaging 21.1 points per game, tallied just nine points against the Cyclones.
"I thought in the second half we defended really, really well," Fennelly said, "which means the court opens up."
Now the attention turns to Baylor. Despite the big game lurking on Iowa State's schedule, Fennelly said earlier in the week that his team was focused on Saturday's showdown. But with that out of the way, Fennelly and his players made it clear afterward they understood just how big of a game was coming up.
"It's a big game," Joens said. "So, we just have to come ready to go in practice (Sunday) and really focus in and get ready to go."
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State, Baylor to meet in huge game after Cyclones beat Texas Tech
