Iowa State Advances To Big 12 Women’s Basketball Semifinals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Iowa State rallied from six points down in the fourth quarter to beat Baylor, 67-62, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Saturday.
Iowa State (19-10) won its fourth straight game and its first of the Big 12 Tournament after claiming a double-bye as the No. 4 seed.
Baylor (24-6) saw its tournament run end in the quarterfinals and they will wait to find out their NCAA Tournament seeding next Sunday.
In a back-and-forth contest that played as close as their meeting in January, Baylor led by as much as six points in the fourth quarter but Iowa State trimmed the lead to a one-possession game in the final two minutes.
Iowa State’s Emily Ryan drew a foul on a rebound with 1:28 left and her two free throws cut Baylor’s lead to 62-61.
On the ensuing possession, Jana Van Gytenbeek missed a 3-pointer and ISU’s Addy Brown rebounded. Ryan then worked an entry pass to Audi Crooks and the All-Big 12 freshman cashed in to give the Cyclones a 63-62 with 41 seconds left.
Baylor’s Yaya Felder missed a 3-pointer on the other end and Brown rebounded that as well. Baylor fouled Ryan with 20 seconds left and Ryan made both free throws to put ISU up 65-62 with 19 seconds left.
On the next possession Baylor’s Dre’Una Edwards missed a 3-pointer. But Baylor’s Sarah Andrews rebounded and passed to Bella Fontleroy, who had her 3-point attempt blocked by Ryan. She was fouled, made two free throws and iced the game with 5.9 seconds left.
Iowa State will face the winner of the Oklahoma-TCU game in the Big 12 semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
When Baylor and Iowa State met on Jan. 13 in Ames, Iowa, the Bears were ranked No. 4 in the country and lost, 66-63. It was Iowa State’s second straight win over a ranked team and the Cyclones moved into the Top 25 the following week.
Saturday’s game was just as close, with Baylor taking a 50-48 lead into the final quarter after an Edwards 3-pointer in the final seconds to cap off a 19-point third quarter.
Edwards, a 32% 3-point shooter for the season, remained hot, connecting on two more in the fourth quarter to give Baylor a five-point lead with seven minutes left, which prompted an Iowa State time out. She finished with 17 points.
Perhaps the game’s biggest key was Iowa State’s turnover and what Baylor did with them. The Cyclones committed 22 of them and Baylor turned them into 25 points, as the Bears extended their pressure full court at times. But ISU managed to overcome it.
The Cyclones took a 36-31 lead at the break as they made five of their final six field goals. At the time, Iowa State had an edge on Baylor in shooting (45 to 33%) and at the 3-point line (six to four) but hadn’t shot a free throw to Baylor’s 3-for-5 from the line.
Bella Fontleroy, who left the game briefly in the third quarter after falling hard to the floor, gave the Bears 14points.
Iowa State’s Crooks led the Cyclones with 23 points while Brown added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Ryan scored 12 points and had 10 assists.
Saturday’s late session features Kansas facing No. 2 seed Texas at 5:30 p.m. and No. 6 West Virginia taking on No. 3 Kansas State at 8 p.m.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
