Courtesy Great Bend Post
Several milestones were reached by the Iowa State Lady Cyclones during last week's Big 12 Tournament championship run. On Sunday, the team defeated No. 15 Texas 61-51 to claim its third Big 12 Tournament in program history, and the first since 2001. Iowa State (22-9) enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed opposite Toledo, with a tipoff Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Former Central Plains High School standout Emily Ryan scored 15 points in Friday's quarterfinal win against Baylor to become just the 34th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Ryan currently ranks ninth nationally with 6.5 assists per game.
The Lady Cyclones defeated No. 14 Oklahoma 82-72 in Saturday's semifinal action. Big 12 Player of the Year Ashley Joens reached 3,000 career points, becoming just the 14th player in NCAA Division I history to reach that milestone.
Iowa State dropped out of the national rankings ahead of the Big 12 Tournament. The Cyclones achieved a top-five ranking earlier in the season - the team's highest ranking since 2001. With a win in Saturday's NCAA first round, Iowa State would face No. 4 Tennessee or No. 13 St. Louis.