Sophomore forward Meredith Burkhall blocks Northern Illinois’ Renee Sladek at the game against Northrn Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 11, at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones won 97-89. Credit: Lani Tons
The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
LAWRENCE, Kansas – Iowa State put together an efficient performance to defeat Kansas 90-75 Tuesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse. The victory, the Cyclones’ third-straight and fourth in the last five games, moves ISU to 16-11 on the season, 7-9 in Big 12 play. KU falls to 8-19 on the year, 2-14 in league play.
The Cyclone effort was led by Meredith Burkhall, who racked up a career-high 20 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. Seanna Johnson filled the stat sheet with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, nine rebounds and five assists. Joining them in double figures was Emily Durr (17), Jadda Buckley (14) and Bridget Carleton (10).
How It Happened
It was all about Meredith Burkhall early on as the Cyclone sophomore posted the first nine points of the contest for ISU, helping guide an 9-2 advantage. The Cyclones were in cruise control for the majority of the quarter, with Jadda Buckley scoring seven as ISU opened the lead to double figures at 20-10. However, Kansas was able to close the gap in the final seconds of the first quarter, and forced Bridget Carleton to the bench with two fouls.
ISU did not allow the KU momentum to continue, as the Cyclones got the first five of the second quarter to open up an 11-point advantage at 27-16. However, the Cyclones struggled to pull away, building the lead up to 14 until the Jayhawks battled back to get a Jessica Washington 3-pointer to bring the Iowa State lead down to single digits at 38-29 at the half.
The Jayhawks continued to roll, cutting the Cyclone advantage down to four at 38-34 to begin the half. After KU cut it to a one possession contest, the Cyclones long-range shooting took over with Seanna Johnson and Emily Durr hitting consecutive 3-pointers to kick-off an 11-3 run to re-establish the Cyclone lead at 11 at 50-39. The quality of play picked up considerably from there, but the Cyclones were able to ride the wave. ISU shot 64.3 percent from the field in the third, building its lead to as many as 16 points.
KU’s final push came early in the fourth quarter as Washington went past the 30 point mark to cut the Cyclone lead to 10 at 69-59. However, Durr drained back-to-back 3-pointers to guide a quick 10-0 run up the ISU advantage to 20 and put the game out of sight. The Cyclones’ second half performance can be credited to an outstanding 7-of-9 effort from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
Players of Note
Meredith Burkhall ensured Iowa State would lead the contest for its entirety, scoring ISU’s first nine points of the contest. The sophomore finished with a career-high 20 points, her first career 20-point effort. She also snared eight rebounds.
Seanna Johnson just missed out on her 32nd career double-double, recording 18 points and nine rebounds. Johnson shot an efficient 6-of-7 from the field in the contest.
Emily Durr continued her strong play across the past four weeks with another big performance. The junior recorded 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has hit a 3-pointer in an NCAA-record 700-consecutive games.
*ISU picked up the regular season sweep of Kansas for the second-straight season and the third time in the past four seasons.
*Jadda Buckley chalked up 14 points, her 21st game of the season in double figures and 63rd of her career.
*Meredith Burkhall recorded a career-high 20 points, her 11th game of the season in double figures and 22nd of her career.
Up Next
Iowa State’s road swing continues Friday with a showdown at No. 6 Texas. Tip between the Cyclones and Longhorns will be at 7:30 p.m. with Longhorn Network showing the contest.
