The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State Athletic Communications.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Iowa State (6-1) scored a 75-66 road win over SEC foe Alabama (5-3) on Thursday night at Coleman Coliseum.
How It Happened
The Cyclones knocked down 3-pointers on three consecutive trips down the court to close out the first quarter with a flurry after the Crimson Tide had opened up an early 16-9 lead. Adriana Camber sparked the ISU run with a triple with just 1:08 remaining in the opening stanza, and Kristin Scott and Rae Johnson followed suit to knot the game at 18-18 after 10 minutes of play.
A slow start to the second quarter saw the Cyclone fall behind again, as Iowa State netted just two field goals in the first 5:45 of the period. However, a Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw triple with 4:13 to play in the half tied the game, and sparked a 12-0 ISU run, with baskets coming from five different Cyclones during the stretch. Iowa State would go into the halftime locker room holding a 34-27 lead.
The Iowa State momentum carried into the third quarter, as the Cyclones stretched their lead to double digits behind a strong offensive period. The Cyclones knocked down 9-of-17 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free throw line in the third, led by seven points from Scott. Ashley Joens, who chipped in six of her 14 points in the third period, connected on a layup to beat the buzzer, putting Iowa State ahead 58-43 with 10 minutes to play.
The Crimson Tide refused to go away, cutting the Iowa State lead to 68-63 with 2:42 to play, but InesNezerwa knocked down a jumper, followed by a pair of Joens free throws to ice the game late.
Players of Note
Kristin Scott was outstanding on Thursday night for the Cyclones, scoring a team-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, knocking down three treys. Scott also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, and added three assists and two steals.
Rae Johnson chipped in 15 points and was key to getting the Cyclone offense humming. The junior dished out a team-high eight assists on the evening in 35 minutes of action.
Up Next
Iowa State returns home to take on Iowa in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series on Dec. 11 at Hilton Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised by FS1.
