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Ames, IA -- Iowa State came out Saturday night looking to avenge their last loss to Texas, one in which they lost my more than 20 points.
And while Iowa State (11-4 overall, 3-1 Big 12) walked away with a 65-49 win against Kansas (5-10 overall, 0-4 Big 12), they weren't very happy about it.
"We've got to be more engaged from start to finish," said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. "That's the kind of team that we need to be. We were not that way tonight, you could tell that."
The Cyclones were neck and neck with the Jayhawks in the first half, only outscoring them by three points.
"It was definitely a slow start," said guard Nicole "Kidd" Blaskowsky. "We've got to play our game. We can't play down to any team or let another team take advantage of our game. When you do that, that's when you start struggling."
It wasn't until the third quarter when Iowa State was able to separate from the Jayhawks. The Cyclones held Kansas to just nine points in the third quarter, holding them to less than 27 percent shooting from the field.
From there, the Cyclones dropped 21 points in the final quarter and were able to ride the game out for the win.
"After the game, coach Fennelly was a little disappointed because after the Texas game, we should have come out with a lot more effort and excitement â especially because we have all these fans here," said center Bryanna Fernstrom. "Playing home games, you only get so many a year. We could have beaten them by a lot more."
Jadda Buckley led the Cyclones with 12 points on the night. Bridget Carleton and Blaskowsky both finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
But it was Seanna Johnson that once again led the Cyclones with her 11th double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
"[Johnson is] a walking double-double," Said Kansas coach Brandon Schneider. "I think she's just had a terrific year. The thing that I really respect about her is her motor. She just plays so dang hard. She's always around the ball. I really respect that about her."
Lauren Aldridge led the Jayhawks with 12 points. Chayla Cheadle and Caelynn Manning-Allen both finished with eight points.
The Cyclones will have eight days off before heading to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech next Sunday. The Jayhawks will have another shot for their first conference win of the season when they host Texas on Wednesday.
Moving forward, Blaskowsky said she knows just how good this team can be. But in order to get to that level, she said they need to stay with their game plan.
"This team has a lot of potential," Blaskowsky said. "We can do some serious damage in the Big 12, but we have to stick to what we know and how we do it. A win is a win, and we'll learn from this and get back at it."