ISU Scores Huge Comeback Win Over No. 3 UT, 59-57

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) battled back from an 18-point deficit to hand No. 3 Texas (13-1, 2-1 Big 12) its first loss of the season, 59-57 Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.

Seanna Johnson's bucket with 0:17 seconds left proved to be the game-winner, ending a near eight-minute scoring drought by the Cyclones. It was ISU's first win over a top-5 team since beating Texas Tech in 2004.

The game featured crazy ebbs and flows. Down 37-19 with 2:50 left in the first half, ISU then went on a 38-13 run to take a 57-50 lead with 8:10 left in the contest.

ISU then allowed the Longhorns to tie the game at 57-57 with under a minute left, but Johnson's bucket, ISU's first since the 8:10 mark, was huge. ISU then played great defense on UT's last possession to secure the upset victory.

The Cyclones held the Longhorns to just 21.1 percent shooting (8-38 FG) in the second half to mount their comeback.

The Cyclones were paced by Nikki Moody's 17 points. She also had eight boards and seven dimes, including the gift to Johnson on the final bucket. Brynn Williamson added 14 points and three steals in the victory.

How it Happened…
Texas built its early lead thanks to hot shooting. The Longhorns led 21-12 with 12:48 left in the first half after Nekia Jones hit a 3-pointer. UT made 5-of-its-first-6 shots from downtown in the early going, including a 3-of-3 effort from Brady Sanders.

UT increased its lead to 37-19 with a 7-0 run late in the first half, but the Cyclones answered with five-straight points, including a big three by Williamson at the buzzer, to go into halftime down 37-24.

ISU shot just 25.9 percent in the opening period.

The Cyclones made it a 14-0 run to cut the UT lead to 37-33 at the 16:16 mark of the second half. Moody scored twice and Kidd Blaskowsky nailed a trey, as the Cyclones scored the first nine points of the second period.

Nneka Enemkpali scored a pair of buckets for the Longhorns, but Williamson then answered with back-to-back triples to close the gap to two points (41-39). The Cyclones then tied the game at 43-43 with a pair of lay-ins from Fallon Ellis and Moody at the 13:00 mark of the second period.

ISU kept its foot on the gas. With the game tied at 47-47, ISU went on a 10-3 run to go up 57-50 with 8:10 left in the game. Blaskowsky started the run with a trey and Bryanna Fernstsrom added a triple in the flurry to help the Cyclones take control.

ISU then went into a scoring funk to allow the Longhorns to get back into the game. UT hit two bombs to cut the lead to 57-56 with 3:17 remaining. Five consecutive misses at the charity stripe hurt the Cyclones as well.

Enemkpali then made 1-of-2 shots at the foul line to knot the score at 57-57 with under 0:40 seconds to play.

Johnson's bucket then ended an 8-minute scoring drought with a lay-up off a nice dish from Moody with 0:17 seconds left to put ISU up 59-57.

UT had several chances to score on its final possession, but all of the shots missed the mark, as the Cyclones held on.

Game Ball Goes To...
Brynn Williamson. It's hard to pick one player in the big Cyclone win, but Williamson gave the Cyclones a huge lift in the second half. Williamson finished with 14 points behind a 4-of-7 effort from 3-point range. Her back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half helped the Cyclones get back into the game. Her 3-pointer at end of the first half was also a key shot for the Cyclones. She ended the game with three steals and had her hand on a number of deflections.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Seanna Johnson led the Cyclones nine rebounds and had 12 points in the win.
*Moody registered her 52nd double-digit scoring game of her career with 17 points.
*Brynn Williamson scored in double figures for the 38th time with 14 points.
*ISU held UT to 21.1 percent shooting in the second half.
*ISU was outrebounded (49-36) for just the third time this season.
*Iowa State extended its 3-point streak to 625 consecutive games.
*It was ISU's first win over a top-5 since Jan. 14, 2004 (Texas Tech, 64-63).

Next up:
Iowa State hits the road to take on Baylor in Waco, Texas on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., on FSSW. Iowa State stays on the road next Saturday at 7 p.m. as it takes on Kansas State in Manhattan.

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Players Mentioned

Fallon Ellis

Fallon Ellis

Seanna Johnson

Seanna Johnson

Nikki Moody

Nikki Moody

Brynn Williamson

Brynn Williamson

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Iowa State University Athletics