Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCF on January 31, 2026 , Win , 65, to, 52
Final
Women's Basketball
65
UCF
52
Iowa State University Athletics
ISU to Face Baylor in Third Straight Big 12 Semi
03.14.2009 | Women's Basketball
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The 18th-ranked Iowa State women's basketball team will face No. 7 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Cyclones will make their third consecutive appearance in a Big 12 semifinal game. The contest will be televised live by FSN and will be called by Kevin Eschenfelder, Debbie Antonelli and Brenda VanLengen.
Who: No. 18/19 Iowa State (24-7; 11-5) vs. No. 7/7 Baylor (25-5; 12-4)
When: Saturday, March 14, 2009 ? 2:30 p.m.
Where: Oklahoma City, Okla. ? Cox Convention Center (13,297)
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at big12sports.com
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield: Rich Fellingham (pxp); Molly Parrott (color)
TV: FSN: Kevin Kevin Eschenfelder (pxp); Debbie Antonelli (color) Brenda VanLengen (sideline)
Complete Pre-Event Coverage
Cyclone Notebook
? Iowa State survived a quarterfinal game against No. 23/21 Texas on Friday night despite the loss of senior Heather Ezell. The guard hurt her shooting hand (right) during practice before leaving Ames on Wednesday. She will miss the remainder of the Big 12 Championship as a precautionary measure, but will return for the NCAA Tournament.
? Iowa State is 24-7 overall and finished at 11-5 in the Big 12. The Cyclones have reached 20 wins for the third straight season and the 10th time in school history, including nine under head coach Bill Fennelly. ISU is now three wins shy of the school record for season wins and the Cyclones' 23 regular-season wins tied the school record.
? Iowa State's win over Texas marked its fifth win (5-5) against teams ranked in the top 25 this season, but it was the first for the Cyclones outside of Hilton Coliseum. Ironically, the Longhorns were the only team to knock off Iowa State at home this season.
? In the Big 12 Championship, the Cyclones have the chance to face the only three teams they did not earn a win against during the regular season. ISU defeated Texas in the quarterfinals (UT defeated ISU at home on Feb. 15) and will next face Baylor (BU defeated ISU in Waco on Jan. 14) and Oklahoma is still alive, facing Texas A&M in the other Big 12 semifinal (OU defeated ISU in Norman on Feb. 11). The Cyclones earned at least one win over every team in the North Division of the Big 12 and went 3-3 against the South.
? Iowa State finished in a tie for third place in the Big 12 standings with Texas A&M. It is the Cyclones' best Big 12 finish since the 2004-05 season. ISU has finished in the top four of the league standings in three of the last five seasons.
? Three Cyclones have joined the 1,000-point club this season, beginning with seniors Heather Ezell and Nicky Wieben and capped by junior Alison Lacey, who reached the mark in ISU's win over Nebraska. It is the first time in school history three players have reached the 1,000-point mark in the same season, but it is the second time the Cyclones have had three 1,000-point scorers on the same team (Angie Welle, Lindsey Wilson, Tracy Gahan; 2001-02).
? Iowa State ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 on Feb. 9. It was the Cyclones' highest ranking in the AP Poll since rising to a No. 14 ranking for one week during the 2004-05 campaign.
? ISU is in its 36th season of women's basketball and its 14th season under head coach Bill Fennelly. Iowa State is 542-491 in school history.
A Closer Look At Baylor
? Baylor knocked off Iowa State 68-57 in the first meeting of the season between the two in Waco. BU extended its current winning streak against the Cyclones to five consecutive games. Baylor holds a 10-5 all-time record against ISU, but the two teams are an even 1-1 when meeting in the Big 12 Championship. The last time the two teams met in the 2002 Big 12 tourney, Baylor prevailed, 91-83, in the semifinals. That season, BU was a No. 2 seed, and ISU was a No. 6 seed.
? Baylor improved to 25-5 overall this season with a 67-62 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals on Friday. The Lady Bears have won four of their last five games despite losing their top scorer and rebounder in Danielle Wilson to a knee injury in a road win at Texas on Feb. 28.
Iowa State Big 12 Championship Fun Facts
? Iowa State has won more Big 12 Championship games than any team in the league with 21. ISU is 21-10 in the Big 12 Championship since it began in 1997. In the only other Big 12 Championship to take place in Oklahoma City in 2007, the Cyclones made it all the way to the title game before falling to Oklahoma 67-60.
? The Cyclones have been to three consecutive Big 12 semifinals. ISU defeated top-seeded Texas A&M in 2007 and fell to the fourth-seeded Aggies in 2008 in the semifinal round.
? Iowa State has picked off the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Championship in each of the last two seasons. In 2007 ISU earned a 57-51 win over No. 1 Texas A&M in the semifinals and in 2008, ISU defeated No. 1 Kansas State 66-65 in overtime to proceed to the semis.
? ISU has been the three seed just once before (in 2001) and the Cyclones went on to win the title that season. The Cyclones have been a one, two or three seed five times in the 12 seasons of the Big 12 championship.
? The Cyclones have made it to four title games in the 12 years of the Big 12 Championship. The only team to play in more Big 12 Championship finals is Oklahoma, which has played in five.
Last Time Out
Junior Alison Lacey picked up the slack when senior leader Heather Ezell missed the game against No. 23/21 Texas due to an injury to her shooting hand. Lacey had her best game of the season, going 5-of-6 from three-point range for a season-high 25 points as she led ISU to a 59-55 win over the Longhorns Friday night. The Canberra, Australia, native also added nine rebounds and four assists. Kelsey Bolte pitched in 12 points and Nicky Wieben had 10. Neither team led by more than four points until ISU went up by six with 19 seconds left. There were 17 lead changes and nine ties in the contest. ISU sophomore Denae Stuckey hit her second three-pointer of the season to knot the game at 50-all and then Lacey hit a pair of free throws to give ISU a 52-50 advantage and the Cyclones never trailed again.
On the Line
Iowa State was an outstanding 24-for-26 from the charity stripe against Colorado (Feb. 25). ISU is shooting a Big 12 best 73.2 percent from the stripe. Two Cyclones have current streaks of seven or more made free throws (Whitney Williams-7; Kelsey Bolte-18) and Nicky Wieben had a streak of 19 straight before missing one at Missouri. Three current players rank in the ISU's career top 10 for free throw percentage, and four more have percentages high enough to make the top 10 list, but do not have the required minimum 100 attempts.
Meeting Their Match
Teams ranked in the Top 25 have met their match in Iowa State this season. The Cyclones are 5-5 against ranked teams this campaign. ISU's win over No. 10/4 Texas A&M was its first against a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 since defeating No. 2 Texas Tech, 64-63, during the 2003-04 season. It was also Iowa State's 11th overall win in program history over a team ranked in the AP top 10. The Cyclones' back-to-back wins over Kansas State and Texas A&M marked the first time ISU has defeated teams ranked in the AP Top 25 in consecutive games since the 2000-01 season.
Getting the Stop
Iowa State's defense has been solid all season, holding opponents to 53.5 points per game. The Cyclones have held 26 opponents under 60 points, going 22-4 in those games. Iowa State has held Big 12 opponents in 15 games under the 60-point mark and the Cyclones have held Big 12 teams to 50 points or less in half their league games (including five consecutive games).
Making A Mark
With each blocked shot Nicky Wieben records this season, she adds to her Iowa State career record, which currently sits at 193. Wieben has also moved up the Big 12 career list, moving into eighth place at Kansas. She needs 11 to move up to seventh place.
Trey Bien
Iowa State has made at least one three-pointer in 445 consecutive games dating back to 1995. That streak now ranks second in the nation. Canisius College unofficially holds the longest current streak at 453 consecutive games, while Iowa State is second.
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