Iowa State women’s basketball was back in the NCAA Tournament, but its March Madness journey was short-lived, falling to Syracuse in the first round on Saturday.
The Cyclones (22-10) made a late comeback bid in the second half, but fell short, 72-63.
Check out our recap of the final Iowa State women’s basketball game of the season below.
FINAL Syracuse 72, Iowa State 63
The Orange take this one and Iowa State’s season comes to a close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
4Q/0:31.3- Syracuse 72, Iowa State 63
Fennelly drew up a shot for Kenzie Hare, but it didn’t fall. She’s had a tough day, going 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Burrows got the board and then drilled two free throws on the other side before Fennelly called his final timeout.
4Q/0:37.4- Syracuse 70, Iowa State 63
Burrows drills two free throws at the line following a quick ISU foul. Iowa State calls a timeout, Bill Fennelly’s only got one remaining now.
4Q/0:37.8- Syracuse 68, Iowa State 63
Iowa State had a couple of decent looks, but none of them could fall. Syracuse gets an eventual rebound and ISU is forced to foul.
Syracuse still won’t be at the line since that was the last foul the Cyclones had to give. From here on out, it’s free throws for every foul.
4Q/1:20- Syracuse 68, Iowa State 63
Just a five point game now after the Cyclones go on a 6-0 run. Iowa State needs to get a couple stops and they’ll have a chance.
4Q/3:02- Syracuse 66, Iowa State 56
Good ball movement from Syracuse leads to another Burrows 3-pointer. Iowa State is in the bonus, though, so they’ll be at the line for every foul from now on.
4Q/4:06- Syracuse 63, Iowa State 54
Sophie Burrows, who has been cold from deep all day, just drilled a 3-pointer to make it a 9-point game again and Iowa State calls a timeout.
4Q/4:30- Syracuse 60, Iowa State 54
Iowa State has cut the deficit to six points. The Cyclones are outscoring Syracuse 12-6 so far in the fourth. They need to keep feeding Audi Crooks, she’s been dominant when the ball is in her hands and is up to 32 points tonight.
4Q/6:00- Syracuse 60, Iowa State 53
SU’s lead is down to 7 after an Audi Crooks and-1
END 3: Syracuse 54, Iowa State 42
The Orange hit both free throws from the phantom flagrant 1, but they couldn’t capitalize on the extra possession.
About 10 minutes left and Iowa State needs to go on a run to keep its season alive. Stick around here to see if they can do it.
3Q/0:42- Syracuse 52, Iowa State 42
The Cyclones have cut the deficit to just 10 points with under a minute to play in the third. Going to be a tight one down the stretch. Syracuse has gone cold and hasn’t scored in over 2 minutes of game time.
A foul from Arianna Jackson was upgraded to a flagrant 1, giving SU two free throws and the ball back. Definitely a foul, but an upgrade there seems… odd.
3Q/4:59- Syracuse 48, Iowa State 33
It’s back to a 15 point lead for Syracuse after some good ball movement and a layup. That was followed up by an offensive foul by Iowa State to give the ball back to the Orange following the media timeout.
3Q/5:56- Syracuse 46, Iowa State 33
Jada Williams hits her second 3-pointer of the day to cut the lead down from 16 to 13. The two star players, Crooks for ISU and Uche Izoje for Syracuse, both out of the game now after each picked up thier third fouls.
3Q/6:44- Syracuse 45, Iowa State 30
Crooks picks up her third foul and exits the game. Still a 15 point lead for the Orange
3Q/10:00- Syracuse 41, Iowa State 26
We’re back underway in Storrs. Let’s find out if the Cyclones can come back to keep their season alive.
HALFTIME: Syracuse 41, Iowa State 26
Check out the box score from the first half of the game:
HALFTIME: Syracuse 41, Iowa State 26
Syracuse closes the half out on a big run, outscores the Cyclones 30-12 in the second quarter. Uche Izoje has been great for the Orange as well and has hit 8-of-10 from the field.
Audi Crooks leads the way for Iowa State with 15 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field.
2Q/4:30- Syracuse 28, Iowa State 20
Olivia Schmitt is heating up for the Orange; she’s hit all three of the deep shots she’s taken. Syracuse in the middle of a 10-0 run to re-take the lead.
2Q/6:22- Syracuse 21, Iowa State 20
Audi Crooks has to go to the bench again after picking up a second foul, but the offense is finding a rhythm for both teams here in the second.
END OF 1- Iowa State 14, Syracuse 11
Not the greatest offensive performance from either team, but the Cyclones find a groove at the end, sparked by a Jada Williams 3-pointer, to go on a 6-0 run and take the lead.
1Q/3:57- Syracuse 9, Iowa State 8
It’s been a back-and-forth game so far, with both teams struggling to hit shots. Audi Crooks picked up an early foul, so she’s been on the bench for a bit, but it seems like she was just about to check back into the game after this media timeout.
Cyclones are 0-for-4 from deep so far.
1Q/10:00- We’re underway
Iowa State wins the tip and we’re underway from Storrs, CT. Let’s see if the Cyclones can advance to the second round of March Madness.
The game can be seen on ESPN News as the Clemson/USC game finishes up.
It’s almost time for tip-off
We’re about 15 minutes away from the Cyclones starting their March Madness run. Follow along for updates and highlights of today’s game against Syracuse.
Iowa State vs Syracuse prediction: March Madness first round
The Cyclones are healthy and motivated to put a frustrating regular season and conference tournament behind them. Look for Bill Fennelly’s team to come out strong in the March Madness opener.
Iowa State 75, Syracuse 65
Top players for Iowa State and Syracuse
Audi Crooks is Iowa State’s leading scorer at 25.5 points per game. She’s one of the most dominant offensive players in the nation.
Addy Brown is extremely versatile, averaging 12.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for the Cyclones.
Point guard Jada Williams also has had a strong season for Iowa State, with 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
Syracuse is led by Uche Izoje, who averages 15.5 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounds.
Laila Phelia is the Orange’s second-leading scorer at 13.7 per game.
Dominique Darius leads the team in assists with 106, but she has been ruled out for the first-round game due to injury.
Best wins for Iowa State and Syracuse
Iowa State beat Iowa at home in December. The Hawkeyes are a 2-seed in the Sacramento 4 region. The Cyclones also beat Texas Tech on the road in January.
Some of Syracuse’s best wins were against Clemson, Miami and Virginia.
Iowa State vs. Syracuse time today
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball vs Syracuse, March Madness score, recap
Reporting by Will Kennedy, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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