The Cyclone men and women really need to work on their layups.
Last basketball season, I took my first trips to the McLeod Center (UNI men 60, ISU 54) and Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa women 62, ISU 40). I was hoping to even my in-state away-game record with a men’s-women’s doubleheader in my first trip to the Knapp Center. (The Creighton game at Wells Fargo Arena was neutral.)
It was only a partial success.
The Cyclone women started out very sluggish and only made five shots from the field in the first half. By the middle of the second period, Drake was up 11. Iowa State, the owner of the nation’s longest streak of games with a 3-point shot, had not made a single one. (For what it’s worth, there was one shot early counted as a 2-pointer with a foot on the line. The women’s line moved back this year to match the men’s. You can see above that there is no longer a line touching the top of the key.)
And then, with 9:43 remaining, the first 3-pointer finally happened. That may have been the spark the team needed, because it started a 20-9 run in 6½ minutes to tie the game up. (All stats from the official box score (PDF).)
Final score: Iowa State 71, Drake 64.
About an hour later, the Knapp Center filled up for the men’s game, with the audience about 65-35 or 60-40 in favor of Drake.
The men started nearly as slowly as the women, although they led a couple times early, and never really figured it out. There were a couple flashes, including a Royce White dunk, but it just wasn’t that good. The Bulldogs kept the Cyclones in a single-digit deficit most of the game. Scott Christopherson didn’t make a 3-pointer for the first time in 36 games.
Final score: Drake 74, Iowa State 65.
The second half of my “Super Sports Week” will continue with the Oklahoma State game Friday night.