1 / 4

BYU's Kailey Woolston (10) defends Iowa State's Arianna Jackson during a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

2 / 4

BYU's Lauren Gustin (12) goes to the basket against Iowa State's Audi Crooks during a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

3 / 4

BYU's Amari Whiting (left) drives against Iowa State's Arianna Jackson during a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

4 / 4

BYU's Lauren Davenport drives in for a layup against Iowa State in a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

With seven players over 6-foot-2 on its roster and a bevvy of knockdown shooters, Iowa State can be a pretty tough guard.

The BYU women’s basketball found that out for dead certain on Saturday.

The Cougars played perhaps their best game of the season and held an eight-point lead early in the third quarter. But the Cyclones inside-outside attack proved overwhelming at all the right times and Iowa State held on for an 80-75 Big 12 victory at the Marriott Center.

“I am really, really proud of my women tonight,” BYU coach Amber Whiting said. “I know it’s a loss. But that kind of fight, I’ll take that any night of the week. If we played like that last game (vs. Oklahoma), we probably would have won. But we’re gonna win a lot of games if they bring that every night.”

It was a close game throughout, with the Cougars claiming a 33-30 lead at halftime on a Kailey Woolston 3-pointer. The score was tied at 57 early in the fourth but Iowa State took control with a 15-5 run, taking a 72-62 lead with 3:57 remaining.

BYU closed to within four, 75-71, on a driving layup by Amari Whiting with one minute to go. But that was as close as the Cougars could get.

Woolston led BYU with 18 points on 4 of 6 from the 3-point line. Lauren Gustin posted 14 points and 14 rebounds, the 70th double-double of her career. Freshman Amari Whiting contributed 12 points and nine assists and Rose Bubakar came off the bench for her best game of the season (11 points on 5 of 8 from the field).

“We had a pretty good, intense film session after our last game and I got into a couple players really hard,” Coach Whiting said. “I felt like that woke them up. We’ve got to play together. We’ve got to play connected. I had four players in double figures again so we’re sharing the ball with 22 assists, and that’s really good. I know that’s going to start the momentum. We’ll get a win and then catch fire from there.”

The Cougars were 9 of 20 (45%) from the 3-point line and held a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

“We’re learning a lot about ourselves every game,” Coach Whiting said. “I felt like this was first game in Big 12 play that we’ve put four quarters together. We just need to keep fighting because eventually we’re going to be able to bust through and get some momentum. They played so hard and played for each other. If they can do that every night then we’re going to come away with a lot of wins in this conference.”

Freshman Addy Brown scored 24 points and made 4 of 7 from the 3-point line for Iowa State (10-4 overall, 3-0 Big 12), including a dagger triple with 34 seconds to play. Fellow freshman Arianne Jackson scored 17 points and was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Yet another freshman, 6-foot-3 post Audi Crooks, bulled her way for 13 points and nine rebounds and helped the Cyclones to a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint.

“We have five freshmen that really contributed a lot,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly, who won his 600th game in his 29th season in Ames. “We started three (freshmen) and I think that’s a sign for our kids to be in this environment and be a freshman and get down eight in the third quarter and make some big plays at both ends of the court. So that’s kind of the way they’ve done it all year. Our freshmen took some big shots at big times. They are very talented kids and all five of them have dramatically impacted our team.”

The Cyclones were 8 of 14 (57%) from the 3-point line in the second half and finished the game with 21 points off 13 offensive rebounds.

Fennelly was complimentary of his program’s first experience in Provo.

“I was so impressed with BYU,” he said. “They played really hard and had a great plan. It was a great Big 12 game. Our first experience in the Big 12 in Provo was was something special. I was proud of our kids and the way we hung around and found a way to win. That’s the nature of this league, I guess.”

BYU (10-6, 0-3) will travel to Houston next Wednesday before returning home to face Cincinnati in the Marriott Center on Saturday.