The Iowa State women won their Big 12 Conference opener, but it wasn’t easy. The Cyclones staged a second half rally and beat Texas in overtime, 73-65, Wednesday night in Ames.
ISU Coach Bill Fennelly was relieved, especially since it took the Cyclones six tries to notch their first conference win last season. “It’s just a great way to start the new year and a great way to start the Big 12. Only 17 more of these to go, I guess,” Fennelly said with a laugh. “The fans were phenomenal…they always are, but our team really need them tonight.” Just over 7,100 fans attended the game at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones were led in scoring by a couple of seniors — Anna Prins finished with 17 points and Chelsea Poppins added 16. “When you win in the Big 12, when you find a way to win, you need to have good guard play…but your seniors sometimes have to will your (team) to win and I thought our seniors, in the last 20 minutes and the overtime, willed our team to win,” Fennelly said.
Nikki Moody recorded a double-double for the Cyclones with 14 points and 10 assists, while adding 6 rebounds. With the win, Iowa State improved to 10-1 overall. Texas dropped to 7-5.