The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletic Communications.
VERMILLION, S.D. – Iowa State (5-1) fell 64-59 to South Dakota (6-1) on the road Wednesday night at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The Cyclones rallied from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to cut the USD lead to just three with 1:19 remaining but were unable to complete the comeback.
Sophomore Madison Wise scored a game-high 19 points, including 10-straight in the midst of ISU’s 15-0 run in the fourth quarter. Wise was 4-of-8 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line. She was joined in double figures by Bridget Carleton, who scored 14 points on the night.
How It Happened
A slow start on offense plagued the Cyclones in the early going. South Dakota jumped out to a 13-9 lead after 10 minutes, thanks in part to ISU’s 3-of-15 start from the field, including 1-of-8 on 3-pointers. The Coyotes did the majority of their damage from distance on the other end, knocking down three consecutive triples to build early momentum after ISU scored the first basket of the game.
USD’s 3-point barrage continued into the second quarter, as the Coyotes out-scored the Cyclones 22-9 in the frame. South Dakota knocked down six triples in the quarter, including three in the final 1:44 of the half, securing a 35-18 halftime advantage. Bridget Carleton led the way with eight points in the first half, but ISU’s offensive woes continued, shooting 24 percent from the field at the intermission.
The Cyclones continued to battle in the second half but were unable to come up with any scoring runs to cut into the deficit in a significant way despite slowing down the USD offense. Iowa State outscored the Coyotes 14-13 in the period, as the home team seemed to answer every Cyclone basket. Iowa State trailed 48-32 with 10 minutes to play.
Bill Fennelly’s Iowa State squad fought the whole way, putting together a 15-0 run to claw their way back into it after trailing by 18 at 60-42 with 5:37 to play in the game. Wise was the catalyst, scoring 10-straight at one point, as the USD lead was slashed to just 60-57 with 1:19 to play.
South Dakota’s Madison McKeever answered the run with a bucket of her own and also knocked down a pair of late free throws to help the Coyotes hold on 64-59.
Players of Note
Madison Wise scored a season-high 19 points for the Cyclones and came up big down the stretch. She scored 10-straight points during a 15-0 ISU run in the fourth quarter.
Kristen Scott scored nine points and pulled down a season-high six rebounds, to go with two blocks, in a season-high 32 minutes off the bench for the Cyclones.
Up Next
Iowa State will return to Hilton Coliseum to battle Arkansas on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will be televised by Cyclones.tv.
