Cyclones drop KU in round one of Big 12 Championship

The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications. 

DALLAS, Texas – Iowa State got 24 points from Chelsea Poppens and 23 points from Hallie Christofferson to beat Kansas, 77-62, and advance to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship. The Cyclones (22-7) will face the winner of Oklahoma and West Virginia Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Iowa State trailed the Jayhawks (18-13) 8-2 out of the gate but went on a 23-6 run over the next nine minutes to take control of the game. Christofferson scored 16 of Iowa State’s points during the run. The Cyclones took a 34-26 lead into the break after shooting 50 percent from the field in the half.

The Cyclones controlled the second half from the start, extending the lead to 22 points with 6:05 remaining. Anna Prins scored all 14 of her points in the second half and Iowa State iced it at the line, shooting 18-for-19 as a team. Christofferson was 8-for-8 and has now connected on her last 21 free throw attempts.

Nikki Moody became just the eighth player in Big 12 history to dish out 10 assists in a tournament game. She is now just six assists shy of breaking the Iowa State record for single-season assists of 216, which was set by Lyndsey Medders in 2007.

Iowa State owned the glass, holding a 40-29 edge on the boards. Poppens had 14 rebounds to post her 30th career double-double. The Cyclones had 12 first-half turnovers, but just two in the second half.

The Cyclones are in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since 2009.