The first half started slowly with neither team able to find any offensive rhythm. Texas Tech took the early advantage, scoring the first 6 points to take a 6-0 lead into the first timeout. The Lady Raiders used a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 11-2 with 14:45 left in the half. Iowa State answered with a 12-0 run to take the 14-11 lead with 9:31 to go in the half. Texas Tech retook the lead with a 6-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. A 5-0 run further extended the Lady Raiders’ lead to 24-20. Texas Tech led 28-26 at the half.
Texas Tech got things going in the second half with a 10-3 run to take a 43-33 lead with 12:40 left in the game. Iowa State got back into the game with a 5-0 run to make the score 43-38 with 11:3 to go in the game. Iowa state took the lead following an 8-0 run which gave the Cyclones a 51-49 lead with under seven minutes left in the game. With the Lady Raiders trailing 61-59, Erin Grant hit two free throws to tie the game at 61-61 with 21 seconds left. Anne O’Neil made one of two free throws on the next possession to make the score 62-61 in favor of Iowa State. Following a timeout, Jia Perkins hit an eighteen foot jumper to give the Lady Raiders a 63-62 lead. On the final possession of the game, Anne O’Neil scored on a fade away jumper to give the Cyclones the 64-63 victory.
Offense
This was a bad offensive outing for the Lady Raiders. A lot of credit should go to the Iowa State players and coaches. They played the most creative game plan that Texas Tech has seen all season. That being said, this was a game the Lady Raiders were very capable of winning. Casey Jackson led the Lady Raiders with 13 points. Erin Grant was forced into a scorer’s role, and handled it well, scoring 12 points. Jia Perkins scored 11 points in the game. It was good to see Jackson and Grant get some points, but the team as a while had a tough offensive outing. The Lady Raiders may not face this type of defense for the rest of the season, but they need to come up with a way to defeat the “junk” defenses that Iowa State played.
Defense
Despite a bad offensive outing, the defense kept the game close throughout. The Lady Raiders never found a way to slow down Anne O’Neil, who was being guarded by the players at the three position. The Lady Raiders need to find a way to strengthen their defense at that spot, either through a slight scheme change, or perhaps switching to a zone when teams have a strong scorer at that spot. Overall it was a solid outing, but there were some potential problems highlighted by the Cyclones.