Cyclones Knock Off No. 22 Texas, 67-56

Thursday, January 18

Ames, Iowa

7:00 PM

Iowa State

2-314-4; Big 12

Texas

2-213-5; Big 12

Team	1	2	F
Texas	22	34	56
Iowa State	34	33	67

Cyclones Knock Off No. 22 Texas, 67-56

01.18.2007 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa ? Lyndsey Medders led the Iowa State women's basketball team as the Cyclones snapped a three-game losing skid and knocked off the 22^nd-ranked Texas Longhorns, 67-56, Thursday night in Hilton Coliseum. The game was delayed a day after Texas was unable to make the trip to Ames on schedule due to an ice storm that hit the Austin area on Tuesday, but the Cyclones came out hot and led the Longhorns from start to finish.

With the win, Iowa State improves to 14-4 on the season and 2-3 in the Big 12 Conference. The win was the first for the Cyclones over a ranked team since defeating No. 13 Texas, 73-69, on Feb. 5, 2005. ISU is now 31-42 against nationally ranked teams under head coach Bill Fennelly. Texas falls to 13-5 on the season and 2-2 in the league.

Medders finished with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes, including 15 points in the second half. The Los Angeles native came up with several momentum-driving shots that kept Texas at arms length the duration of the contest. Junior Toccara Ross had 15 points and eight rebounds and freshman Alison Lacey turned in a 12-point, nine-rebound effort in the ISU win.

Texas held the Cyclones scoreless over the first five and a half minutes of the second half, cutting Iowa State's lead to six, 34-28, before Lacey ignited the ISU offense with a running left-handed layup and a deep three-pointer on back-to-back plays to give the Cyclones an 11-point cushion, 39-28. The Longhorns again slash the lead to seven points, 47-40 with 7:25 to play, but Medders nailed a trey to extend the margin back to 10. Texas sliced the Iowa State lead to six points with just over a minute remaining and again with 49 seconds left, but the Cyclones hit 7-of-8 free throw attempts down the stretch to seal win.

“This is a big win for our team,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “Any time Iowa State beats Texas in anything, it is good for our school. I don't like to do this, but this was Lyndsey Medders' night... Sometimes you have a defining moment and this is one of those for Lyndsey. She was tremendous and there is no question that the way she played was the reason we won the game.”

Iowa State took a 34-22 lead going into the locker room at half time. The Cyclones shook off three bad shooting games, starting off shooting 7-of-11 from the floor (63.6 percent) and 3-for-3 from long range, and running out to an 18-5 lead. The Cyclones stepped up their defense as well, holding the Longhorns to 2-of-15 shooting eight minutes into the game.

Texas cut the Cyclone lead to seven, 24-17, with 4:12 left, but Nicky Wieben hit a pair of free throws and Medders drained a three to extend ISU's lead back to 12, 29-17, with three and a half minutes to go. UT once again got it down to a seven-point margin, but ISU went on a 5-0 run to end the half on a three-pointer by Heather Ezell.

Iowa State shot 38 percent from the field for the contest and was 8-of-21 from three-point range. The Cyclones outrebounded Texas, 46-42, and held Texas to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor. Three UT players finished in double figures, led by Carla Cortijo's 12 points. The Cyclones held All-American forward Tiffany Jackson to seven points on 3-of-19 shooting on the night.

The Cyclones travel to Lawrence, Kan., Saturday to face the Jayhawks for the second time this season. Iowa State knocked off the Jayhawks, 61-50, on Jan. 3 at Hilton Coliseum.