Iowa State Cyclones Narrowly Edged Out by Mountaineers at James H. Hilton Coliseum
In a closely contested matchup at the James H. Hilton Coliseum, the Iowa State Cyclones fell short against the West Virginia Mountaineers with a final score of 72-69. The Cyclones' season record now stands at an even balance, while the Mountaineers improved their tally in what was a conference game marked by eight lead changes and five instances where the score was tied.
The home team, Iowa State Cyclones, put up a valiant effort in front of an attendance of 13,575 fans. Despite trailing in the first half with 27 points to West Virginia's 35, they rallied back to add 42 points in the second half but couldn't quite close the gap. The Cyclones showcased their shooting accuracy with a field goal percentage of 46 and were particularly effective from beyond the arc, hitting eight three-pointers at a rate of 38 percent.
Key players for Iowa State contributed significantly on both ends of the court. The team managed to outdo their opponents in steals with six and also led in assists with 13 compared to West Virginia's eleven assists. However, personal fouls proved costly for Iowa State as they accumulated twenty-five throughout the game.
On offense, Iowa State demonstrated efficiency inside by scoring twenty points in paint and converting free throws at a rate of seventy-two percent from eighteen attempts. Their two-point shooting was also noteworthy as they made sixteen baskets on thirty-one attempts which translates to fifty-two percent success rate.
West Virginia Mountaineers had their own moments during this intense battle. They maintained steady performance throughout both halves scoring thirty-five and thirty-seven points respectively. Their defense managed three blocks and five steals while committing fewer personal fouls than their counterparts with twenty infractions recorded.
The Mountaineers showed proficiency from both two-point range (56 percent) and free throw line (83 percent). They capitalized on turnovers scoring fourteen points off them compared to seventeen by Iowa State but were slightly less effective on second-chance opportunities netting nine against ten by Iowa State.
As fans look ahead after this hard-fought contest, they can mark their calendars for when Iowa State Cyclones take on Baylor Bears next at Ferrell Center located in Waco Texas scheduled for March fourth at five PM Central Time Zone broadcasted nationally on ESPN2 channel two hundred nine ensuring that supporters won’t miss any action regardless where they are.