Kansas rally halted, Cyclones storm back, 65-56
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After taking the lead into halftime, Kansas women’s basketball fell behind with a cold-shooting third quarter and Iowa State halted each rally attempt that the Jayhawks would make late in the game. The Cyclones stormed back to steal the victory, 65-56, on Tuesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Kansas honored its three seniors that have each played unique roles throughout their time donning the Crimson and Blue. Senior guards Sydney Benoit and Eboni Watts along with senior forward Chayla Cheadle all received recognition from Jayhawk fans and family for their contributions to KU’s women’s basketball program.
After leading for much of the second quarter, the Jayhawks (12-17, 3-15 Big 12) went cold from the floor (3-of-15) in the third period allowing the Cyclones (13-16, 7-11 Big 12) to crawl back in the game. Once ISU gained the advantage, it halted each KU run to steal the lead back with timely long range buckets.
The Jayhawks were led by junior guard Christalah Lyons, who netted her 26th double-digit scoring effort of the season, with 16 points. Redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson followed closely behind matching her career-high 15 points previously set at K-State (2/24) and added 10 rebounds for her first double-double performance of the season.
Three Cyclones scored double digits in the regular-season finale. Senior guard Emily Durr led all scorers with 27 points and five assists. Junior guard Bridget Carleton and sophomore forward Adriana Camber added 17 points and 12 points, respectively.
A Johnson 3-point play sparked an early 8-2 Jayhawk run, giving Kansas a 10-4 advantage two minutes into the opening period. Iowa State answered with a run of its own that consisted of three 3-point baskets to take a five-point lead with three and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. Osorio knocked in five-straight points to even the score at 17, but KU would end the period down, 19-18.
The Jayhawks started the second period with a 5-0 run, capped by a Lyons 3-point basket, but the Cyclones responded in similar fashion to keep a 24-23 lead at the 7:28 mark.
Kansas’ offense in the second quarter was paced by several four and five-point runs allowing KU to keep control of the game for much of the second quarter. After Iowa State battled back to within one point with under two minutes remaining in the half, junior forward Austin Richardson sank a triple with 34 second remaining to give KU a 35-31 advantage at the half time break.
Durr started the third quarter for Iowa State, knocking in back-to-back jumpers to even the score at 35 to begin the period. Kansas took back a 40-35 lead with five unanswered points, but the Cyclones went on an 11-0 run capped by five-straight points from Durr to give ISU a 46-40 lead with 1:08 remaining in the quarter.
Cheadle ended Kansas’ nearly six-minute scoring drought with a layup, but Durr netted a pair of free throws to keep Iowa State ahead by six going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
After the Cyclones started the final 10 minutes with a 5-1 run, Lyons took it upon herself to get Kansas back in the game, knocking in back-to-back jumpers to cut the ISU lead from 10 to six with five minutes remaining in the game. Twice the Jayhawks cut the deficit to four, but each time Kansas came within reach, the Cyclones sank a triple to push their lead back to a three possession advantage.
Free throws were a key factor in keeping the Cyclones ahead with half of Iowa State’s points in the final five minutes coming from the charity stripe. The Jayhawks couldn’t muster up another series of runs and fell, 65-56.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks travel to Oklahoma City in the opening round of the 2018 Big 12 Championship and face in-state rival Kansas State on Friday, March 2 at 6 p.m., inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be broadcast on Fox College Sports Network and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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