Story by Derek Klein
Photos by Lauren Delaney

Kyley Simmons scored a career-high 14 points and lead Missouri with four assists. Simmons played all but one minute of the game.

The Missouri Tigers outscored the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half Wednesday night. But that four-point advantage was not enough though to overcome the 17-point halftime deficit.

Iowa State defeated Mizzou 65-52 due in large part to a 12-point run early in the first half.

“It was hard in the first half. We weren’t knocking down shots,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said.

The game was tied 5 minutes into the first half. Over the next 4 minutes, the Cyclones gained a 12-point lead.

“To start the way we did was really important,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.

Iowa State made four shots over the four-minute span while Mizzou was held scoreless. The Tigers turned the ball over three times during the run — and had only had three more the rest of the game.

Senior forward BreAnna Brock goes up for the layup late in the second half, cutting the Cyclones lead 57-45.

Mizzou handled the ball well throughout the game, but struggled shooting the ball. The Tigers missed 21 3-pointers and shot only 25 percent behind the arc on the night.

“I thought we had some open looks,” Pingeton said. “We had some open perimeter looks, and we had a hard time finishing.”

Mizzou struggled from the inside as well. Senior Christine Flores made only three of her 13 shot attempts, finishing with seven points. She was held under 10 points for only the third time this season.

Fellow post player BreAnna Brock also had a difficult time. Brock scored 14 points, but missed 10 shots against the Cyclones.

“Different nights we have different players pick and choose when they show up,” Pingeton said. “We got to put it together for 40 minutes.”

Missouri guard Morgan Eye races for a loose ball on the court. Eye had three steals and scored 10 points.

Pingeton hopes to see the effort her team gave in the second half as they move forward.

“For as disappointed I was in our first half, I was very pleased with our second half effort,” she said. “We are learning. We are getting better.”

The Missouri Tigers next game is Saturday Feb. 11 versus the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. at 2 p.m.