The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
WACO, Texas – The No. 20 Iowa State women’s basketball team (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) battled hard with No. 2 Baylor (16-1, 6-0 Big 12), but came up short, falling 84-69. Senior Bridget Carleton scored a game-high 28 points in the effort, 24 of which came in the first half.
How It Happened
At the half, Iowa State trailed the Lady Bears 41-35. Bridget Carleton’s 24 points came off on 9-of-12 shooting. Baylor shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but the Cyclones were able to hang in the game behind Carleton’s outstanding offensive output.
In the second half, Baylor came out strong. The Lady Bears raced out to a 66-47 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Bears limited Carleton, holding her scoreless in the third quarter. Alexa Middleton stepped up to begin the half, connecting on nine third-quarter points to fight off the Baylor offense, which shot nearly 60% in the third quarter.
The Cyclones went down swinging, cutting the Baylor lead to 11 in the second half behind a 9-0 run. On the night, Iowa State forced 11 Baylor turnovers, but Baylor’s defensive adjustments in the second half were the difference in this contest.
Players of Note
Bridget Carleton came out firing in Waco, netting 24 first-half points. She has now scored in double figure in 18 out of Iowa State’s 19 games this season, finishing the game with 28 points. Carleton added two rebounds, two assists and four steals to her stat line. Carleton now has 180 career steals, which is tied for fifth-best in school history.
Alexa Middleton kept the Iowa State offense moving in the second half. She finished the game with 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half. She was 6-6 from the charity stripe and churned out five assists. This is her eighth game this season with five or more assists.
Kristin Scott was the third Cyclone into double figures at Baylor. She scored 12 points and pulled down eight boards, while doing most of the defensive work on Baylor’s Kalani Brown She has scored in double figures 13 times this season.
Next Up
Iowa State will remain on the road this weekend. They’re set to travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State on Saturday evening. That game is set to tip at 5 p.m. from Gallagher-Iba Arena.
