Iowa State overcomes rough shooting night to beat Drake 75-67

AMES — Bill Fennelly heard the same sentiment from a few staff members regarding his junior point guard.

While the Iowa State women's basketball team tried to crawl back ahead of Drake, it needed some sort of spark. In the final few minutes, Jadda Buckley flipped a switch.

'It was like Jadda just decided we weren't going to lose,' Fennelly said after Iowa State's 75-67 win Sunday night. 'You wish you'd decide that earlier in the game for all of them, but I thought she made some great plays down the stretch.'

The Cyclones (3-0) shot just 32.8 percent from the field and trailed the Bulldogs (1-2) by as many as 11 in the first half before Buckley, who finished with 17 points and seven assists, went on a 7-0 run to essentially seal the game.

The teams were tied for the seventh time at 65-65 with 2:26 to play, but Iowa State found Buckley for a corner 3-pointer on an assist from TeeTee Starks. Half a minute later, Starks logged a steal and advanced to Buckley for a layup. Buckley's two free throws with 39 seconds left iced it.

'When shots aren't going in you have to look to get defensive stops, the hustle plays, rebounds and just all those little things that add up in the end,' Buckley said. 'I think that's really important, especially when you're kind of struggling from 3 or field goal.'

Iowa State outrebounded Drake 42-40, shot 21 of 28 from the free throw line and forced 13 turnovers. The Bulldogs' leading scorers were Lizzy Wendell (20), Sammie Bachrodt (17) and Caitlin Ingle (16). Drake was 43.4 percent from the field, but just 21.9 percent from long range and only went to the free throw line 10 times, making eight.

'I liked our tempo and I liked some of the things we were doing,' said Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk. 'We've got to be able to continue to shoot the ball a little bit better from the outside and we have to do a better job on the boards. If we do a better job on the boards, then maybe that lead grows.'

The Cyclones also got double-figures scoring from Bridget Carleton (19), Seanna Johnson (16) and Emily Durr (11) as well as double-digit rebounds from Starks (10) and Meredith Burkhall (11).

In the midst of a win, Iowa State also potentially lost senior Heather Bowe for the foreseeable future. The Vanderbilt transfer sprained her ankle during halftime warm-ups when she stepped on a basketball, and is doubtful to return soon. She had two rebounds and two steals in 12 first-half minutes.

'It's not good. She's out for awhile,' Fennelly said. 'I don't know how long, but we're going to find out. I don't think I've ever had that one happen. I feel bad for her.'