The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
AUSTIN, Texas – Iowa State not only boosted its NCAA Tournament resume Friday night, it also captured one of its greatest victories in school history along the way.
Iowa State (17-11, 8-9 Big 12) made 8-of-20 shots from 3-point range to upset No. 6 Texas (21-7, 14-3 Big 12), 70-66 at the Erwin Center.
The victory was ISU’s first over a top-10 team since beating UT two years ago when it was ranked No. 8 and dealt the Cyclones their first four-game conference winning streak since 2013.
The Cyclones held the lead for the majority of the game, but it game down to the wire. Down 68-66, UT’s Ariel Atkins attempted to tie the game with 0:06 seconds left, but her jumper was off the mark. Bridget Carleton corralled the rebound and was quickly fouled. The deadeye then sealed the victory by calmly sinking both charity shots to give the Cyclones a 70-66 lead.
Carleton had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and Seanna Johnson poured in 22 points to lead the Cyclones. Johnson equaled her career high in 3-pointers by sinking her first four attempts from long range.
Jadda Buckley chipped in with 14 points and five assists.
How it Happened
Iowa State was hot out of the gates, winning the first quarter 22-19 behind 64 percent shooting. ISU fell behind 10-4, but made 8-of-its-final-10 shots in the quarter to take command. Heather Bowe’s 3-pointer with 0:06 seconds left gave the Cyclones the lead.
The Cyclones maintained their lead in the third quarter, heading into halftime with a 37-33 advantage. Carleton gave the Cyclones their largest lead at 28-21 after draining a 3-pointer with 6:23 left before the break. UT closed the gap to a point, but Johnson hit a pair of free-throws and buried a trey in the final two minutes.
Johnson had 11 points at intermission.
Johnson stayed in the zone in the third quarter, scoring 10-straight ISU points behind a pair of 3-pointers to give the Cyclones a 49-42 lead with 4:09 left in the period. After UT cut it to a one-point game in the closing seconds of the quarter, Carleton got a steal and buried a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it 58-54 to begin the fourth period.
UT scored the first six points of the fourth period take its first lead since late in the first quarter at 60-58. However, the Cyclones responded with a 9-0 run to move ahead 67-60 with 4:15 left in the game. Tee Tee Starks had a pair of hoops and Bowe buried a trey in run.
UT cut the ISU lead to 68-66 after a Alecia Sutton layup with 0:44 seconds left. The Cyclones had a chance to extend their lead further, but uncharacteristically missed three charity shots in four attempts during a two-minute span before Carleton made two key free throws in the closing seconds.
Players of Note
Seanna Johnson recorded the 17th 20-point game of her career by netting 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc. Johnson scored 10-straight ISU points in the third quarter to keep ISU in the lead. Her four 3-pointers equaled a career high.
Bridget Carleton was extremely instrumental in the victory, scoring 18 points (7-10, 2-3 3FG, 2-2 FT), recording four steals and coming up clutch in numerous situations. Her steal in the final seconds of the third quarter resulted in her sinking a 3-pointer from the Longhorn logo near mid-court to give ISU a 58-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Her rebound and two free throws in the final seconds secured the win.
Cyclone Quick Hits
*ISU’s first win over a top-10 opponent since beating Texas at Austin in 2015.
*First four-game conference win streak since 2013.
*Jadda Buckley scored 14 points to move to No. 22 on ISU’s career scoring list with 1,161 points.
*Buckley had five assists, the 51st game of her career with five or more dimes.
*Seanna Johnson recorded her 17th career 20-point game with 22 points.
*Johnson’s four 3-pointers equaled her career high.
*Johnson made four free throws to improve her career total to 388 to rank fourth in school history.
*ISU has made a 3-pointer in 701-straight games, connecting on eight tonight.
Next Up
Iowa State returns home for Senior Night on Feb. 27, playing host to Oklahoma State in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
