Iowa State women’s basketball: Slow start costs Cyclones again, lose 67-56 against Mountaineers

Slow starts have been a troubling trend for Iowa State basketball, and the same story applied to the Cyclone women’s basketball team in their loss to West Virginia on Wednesday night.

Mar 11, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Baylor Bears guard Jordan Madden (3) battles for the ball against Iowa State Cyclones forward Hallie Christofferson (5) during the second half of the championship game for the Big 12 Conference tournament at American Airlines Center. Baylor Bears won 75-47. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The Cyclones (15-5, 4-5) shot just 23.3 percent from the field in the first half, making just seven field goals; four of them from the perimeter. The team finished 17-for-60, and making under 30 percent for an entire game won’t be enough to win many basketball games.

Iowa State was doubled up at halftime, 42-21, after the Mountaineers finished the half of a 20-4 run. There were a lot of similarities to the Cyclones falling apart during that stretch when compared to letting Oklahoma run away with the game at Hilton Coliseum last Tuesday.

The Iowa State women were able to make it closer in the second half, but it wasn’t enough (via Iowa State’s official athletic website):

"The women played better in the second stanza and even cut West Virginia’s lead to eight, behind an 18-6 run that was fueled by seven consecutive points from Kidd Blaskowsky. Ultimately, the deficit would prove to be too much for the Cyclones as the Mountaineers would stretch the lead back to 11 before the final buzzer sounded."

Hallie Christofferson made three of the team’s eight 3-point shots, and finished with 20 points. No other player reached double-figures. Seanna Johnson almost had a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds, and Nikki Moody had nine points, six rebounds, and six assists but evened her assist-to-turnover ratio with six turnovers.

The Mountaineers (18-3, 7-2) were led by Asya Bussie, who finished with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and went 8-for-12 from the free throw line. She also had all three of the team’s blocks and had two assists.

West Virginia outscored Iowa State in the paint 26-16 and had eight fast break points compared to ISU’s zero.

The Iowa State women will host Kansas State on Saturday, February 1st, at 8:00 PM Central time. Coverage will be on Cyclones.tv.