Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones fall to Baylor Bears in season finale 70-54

The Iowa State women were unable to close out the regular season with a win over ninth-ranked Baylor, but it won’t impact their position in the upcoming Big 12 tournament.

Mar 11, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Nikki Moody (4) drives up court against Baylor Bears during the Big 12 Championship game at American Airlines Center. Baylor won 75-47. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The Cyclones fell to the Bears, 70-54, but played significantly better than the game that got away from them in Waco. After starting out down 11-1, ISU was able to close the gap and hang with them throughout the first half.

They were down 31-24 at halftime. Despite getting the deficit down to five points in the second half, the Iowa State women were unable to complete a comeback against Baylor.

From Cyclones.com:

"Iowa State came out firing in the second, trading baskets with the Lady Bears in a stretch that was highlighted by two three-pointers from Moody in the first four minutes of the half. The squad narrowed the deficit to five, but was unable to come any closer. The Cyclones struggled to protect the ball, turning it over 14 times in the game."

Seanna Johnson nearly had a double-double, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds. Nikki Moody led the team with 17 points, but had a negative assist/turnover ratio (5 ast, 6 TOs). Both players played a combined 77 minutes for the Cyclones.

Iowa State did a good job on Baylor’s Odyssey Sims, holding her to just 4-of-16 shooting and making just one three-pointer, but Nina Davis came through making 11 field goals en route to a 26 points and nine rebounds.

Two major differences in the game that kept the Cyclones from coming back was the Bears’ domination in the paint, outscoring the Cyclones 42-18, and getting 19 more second chance points.

The Iowa State women’s basketball team will now travel to Oklahoma City for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship. They have earned the five seed and will take on Oklahoma State in the first quarterfinal. Tip-off is set for 11:00 AM Central time and coverage will be on FOX Sports Networks.