Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team led No. 8 Iowa State midway through the first half, but a 20-2 Cyclone run late in the half and a strong second-half showing propelled ISU to a 92-70 win over the Huskers in front of 5,832 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, Nebraska fell to 2-7 in Big 12 Conference play and 10-12 overall, while Iowa State pulled into a three-way tie for first with Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the league standings with an 8-1 mark and an 18-2 record overall.
After suffering a 43-point defeat at the hands of the Cyclones in the first meeting in Ames on Jan. 13, the Huskers battled to a 27-20 lead over Iowa State after Greichaly Cepero's jumper with 8:49 remaining in the first half. The Huskers, who managed just 18 first-half points against the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum, matched that total with a pair of Casey Leonhardt free throws with 13 minutes left in the half.
Nebraska Coach Paul Sanderford said he was pleased with the Huskers' first half intensity.
"I thought we came out and attacked very well," Sanderford said. "That may have been the best basketball we have played this season in the first 12 minutes of the game. Our goal was to get them spread out and force them to play man-to-man defense against us, and it worked. But then they answered with that big run late in the first half, and we weren't patient enough to score. We didn't turn the ball over, and we got shots, but we weren't patient enough to get good shots, and that is what hurt us all day."
Despite Nebraska's early fire, the Cyclones matched the Huskers' intensity. After Cepero's jumper gave the Huskers their biggest lead of the game, Iowa State responded with a 20-2 run over a 6:36 span to take a 40-29 lead with 2:13 left in the half. Sophomore forward Paige Sutton ended Nebraska's scoring drought with her third three-pointer of the first half to pull Nebraska back to within eight points at 40-32 with 1:52 left in the half, and after a layup by Cepero and a free throw by Amanda Cleveland, the Huskers had the lead back down to seven points at 42-35 before Megan Taylor hit a three-pointer with five seconds left to give ISU a 45-35 halftime edge.
Three-pointers were definitely the story of the first half for both teams, as Iowa State connected on 10-of-22 three-point attempts in the first half alone, on their way to tying a Devaney Center team record with 14 made three-pointers on the afternoon. The Cyclones attempted a Devaney Center record 36 three-pointers. The Huskers set records of their own from outside, setting a school record with 32 three-point attempts for the game, while connecting on 10 three-pointers for the day.
Taylor hit 5-of-10 three-pointers to finish with 19 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore point guard Lindsey Wilson hit 5-of-11 trifectas to finish with 17 points and seven assists for ISU. Sutton hit five three-pointers of her own for the Huskers to finish with a career-high 15 points. Sutton connected on her first five three-pointers before finishing 5-for-8 on the day. Sutton's performance bettered her previous career high of just one three-pointer on eight occasions.
Leonhardt added 14 points and three rebounds for the Huskers, while senior guard Amanda Went gave the Huskers three players in double figures with 13 points and two assists off the bench. Cepero added eight points and a career-high eight assists for the Huskers.
Despite Nebraska's success from three-point range, the Huskers struggled from the field, hitting just 34.2 percent of their season-high 80 field goal attempts. The Huskers also managed to get to the free throw line just 10 times, and were outrebounded by Iowa State, 46-41. Nebraska committed a season-low 13 turnovers, while forcing 17 turnovers by ISU. The Cyclones hit 50 percent of their field goal attempts and knocked down 18-of-23 free throw attempts to seal the win.
The Huskers return to action on Wednesday when they take on Oklahoma at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on NETV and will follow the Nebraska men's basketball game with Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. in a true men's and women's double-header. Men's basketball tickets will be honored for admission to the women's game.