Back from injury, Emily Durr led the Cyclones with 19 points on Friday in a win over Tulane. Photo by Chad Bassman.
The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
BIMINI, Bahamas – Iowa State kicked off the Junkanoo Jam with a 67-64 win over Tulane Friday afternoon in the Bahamas. The win improved the Cyclones to 3-1 on the season, while the Green Wave are now 2-3.
The Cyclone effort was led by a season-best effort from Emily Durr, who finished with 19 points and five 3-pointers to go with four assists. Bridget Carleton had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Meredith Burkhall posted a season-high 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.
How It Happened
The Cyclones clicked from deep immediately in the first quarter, as ISU drained its first three 3-pointers to move ahead 11-7. The first five-and-a-half minutes of the contest saw the teams combine for 29 points, but then the two sides were kept off the board for over three minutes before Emily Durr got a bucket at 17-14, Cyclones.
ISU got strong contributions from Durr and Meredith Burkhall to build back up to a four-point lead, but the Green Wave continued to hit from deep. Bride Kennedy-Hopoate pushed ISU ahead by five at 31-26, but TU knotted it up at 35-35 heading into the locker room with a shot at the halftime buzzer.
Bridget Carleton sparked an 8-0 run for Iowa State that gave the Cyclones a 45-37 lead. Durr had eight points in the third quarter, with a 3-pointer of hers moving ISU ahead by its largest margin at 48-39, but the Green Wave made a strong run to close out the third period to reduce ISU’s advantage down four at 53-49.
An old-fashioned three-point play from Burkhall pushed ISU back ahead by seven at 61-54. Tulane would not go away, as they made it a one-possession game at 63-61 with a Harlyn Wyatt bucket. Carleton made one at the other end to make it a three-point game, which then survived a pair of Tulane 3-point attempts. Kristin Scott made one to make it a two-score game, but Tulane quickly hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. Carleton stepped up to make both free throws with 0.6 seconds left, with Tulane missing a trey at the buzzer to extend the contest.
Players of Note
Emily Durr had her best game of the season, finishing with a 19-point effort that included five 3-pointers. She also contributed four assists to the ISU effort.
The first half was guided by Meredith Burkhall, who had 11 points in that half. She finished the contest with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds, both of which are season-highs.
Bridget Carleton was in double figures for the fourth-straight game to start the season, finishing with 19 points along with nine rebounds and five assists.
Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has hit a 3-pointer in an NCAA-record 708 consecutive games.
*Emily Durr recorded 19 points, her second game of the season over 10 points and 23rd of her career.
*Bridget Carleton has been in double figures all four games this season and now 56 times in her Cyclone career.
*Meredith Burkhall scored in double figures for the second time this season and 26th time in her career.
Up Next
Iowa State will play in the Bimini Division championship game tomorrow at 5:45 p.m. Central against the winner of the San Diego State-Central Michigan game happening later today. The game will again be streamed on FloHoops.
