Cyclones Come Back Too Short In Loss To Dayton

NCAA First Round - Albany Region 1 2 FINAL Iowa State 34 32 66 Dayton 42 36 78 Quick Stats IAST DAY Points 66 78 FG Made - Attempted 23-60 28-58 FG Percentage .383 .483 3PT Made - Attempted 7-28 5-14 3PT Percentage .250 .357 FT Made - Attempted 13-18 17-26 FT Percentage .722 .654 Rebounds 35 36 Turnovers 12 7 Statistical Leaders Iowa State Pts Rbs Asst St Blk Nikki Moody 17 3 5 0 0 Nicole Blaskowsky 11 6 0 1 0 Dayton Pts Rbs Asst St Blk Andrea Hoover 20 6 2 2 1 Ally Malott 18 12 3 1 3 Related Links

March 20, 2015Iowa State just couldn't overcome Dayton's hot shooting.''It wasn't our day,'' said senior Brynn Williamson, whose career ends, along with those of fellow seniors Fallon Ellis and Nikki Moody. Moody finished with 17 points while Williamson and Ellis combined for 16 points and 12 rebounds.Ally Malott had 18 points and 12 rebounds to help the seventh-seeded Flyers beat the No. 10 Cyclones 78-66 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to end Iowa State's season.First in the Atlantic-10 conference this season in field goal percentage, Dayton continued that trend into the post-season; it shot 48 percent, including 16-of-28 in the first half. Malott was efficient in scoring her 18 points, going 7-of-13 from the field.Nicole Kidd Blaskowski's 3-pointer cut Iowa State's 17-point deficit to seven with 2:35remaining. But that was as close as the Cyclones would come before succumbing to Dayton. Iowa State also had nine of its 12 turnovers in the second half.Dayton will move on to the second round Sunday to play the winner between No. 2 Kentucky and No. 15 Tennessee State. The Cyclones finish their season 18-13.The Flyers rode a balanced scoring approach to a 17-point lead in the second half. Four players scored in double figures, led by Andrea Hoover with 20, Malott's 18, Saicha Grant-Allen with 13 and Kelley Austria with 11.''We were trying a little bit of everything, trying different combinations, but that's a very efficient offensive team,'' Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. ''We tried about everything we could think of . but obviously it wasn't to be.''Iowa State also had four players in double figures, led by Moody, but the Cyclones went cold in the second half and made 31 percent of their shots compared to their 45-percent clip in the first half.''There was always one mismatch on the floor, either offense or defense that we just couldn't compensate for, whether it's they throw it to a big guy in the post, or Ally catching the ball on the wing,'' Fennelly said. ''It's kind of like there are six holes of water coming and you've got five fingers.''After Iowa State pulled within seven, Dayton closed the game on an 8-3 run, highlighted by Amber Deane's jumper and Hoover's four free throws that put away any lingering possibility of a Cyclones comeback.Although the Flyers built a sizable lead by the second half, there were three ties and four lead changes in the first half. Trading blows after Dayton hit three of its first four shots, the teams ended up in a 20-20 tie before Malott and Deane hit back-to-back threes and gave the Flyers a six-point cushion with 9:06 until halftime.Iowa State pulled even with 4:35 remaining in the first half after an Emily Durr basket made it 31-31. But Dayton, which shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, went on an 11-3 run to close the half. Five different Flyers scored during that stretch, which concluded with a Hoover three-pointer with 49 seconds on the clock. Dayton headed into the break with a 42-34 advantage.Although it ended in a loss, Fennelly said the Cyclones' season isn't something to be upset about. Iowa State is one of 10 programs in the country that has been to the last nine NCAA tournaments.''I think to make nine straight NCAA tournaments, and you're on a pretty short list, to finish tied for third in the best league in the country - the kids did a really good job,'' he said. ''Disappointing moments - I wouldn't classify it as a disappointing season because we're here today and we did some good things.''