AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team continued its recent run of success Tuesday, earning its third straight win. But the Cyclones’ famous 3-point streak came to an unexpected end after 30 years.
Iowa State’s NCAA record of 945 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer ended during the Cyclones’ 71-58 win over Texas Tech at Hilton Coliseum.
The streak began on Feb. 19, 1995, at Colorado when Tara Gundersen connected on a 3. It continued, game after game after game, for three decades before coming to a halt against the Lady Raiders.
Iowa State went 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Instead, the Cyclones continually pounded the paint, feeding Cyclones post player Audi Crooks, who finished with 28 points.
The Cyclones have struggled to shoot it from beyond the arc this season but managed to keep the streak alive through the first 18 games this season.
Even as the clocked dwindled down late in the game, fans were chanting “Three!” But Iowa State continued to run its offense.
There was still good news for the Cyclones. Iowa State improved to 13-6 overall including 4-2 in Big 12 Conference play.
The Cyclones had a chance to pull away in the second quarter when they went on a 14-0 run. Addy Brown, who finished with 21 points, had nine during that span.
Iowa State built a 29-21 lead with the run. But it wouldn’t last. Texas Tech pulled to within three late in the second quarter.
The Lady Raiders cut the lead to three at halftime, then took a 32-28 lead early in the third quarter.
Iowa State dominated the rest of the quarter, though, thanks to Crooks. The Cyclones sophomore scored 12 straight points for Iowa State.
The Cyclones started to pull away with a 10-0 run. Brown sank a pair of free throws to give the Cyclones a 51-36 lead.
Things get significantly tougher for Iowa State, which travels to No. 20 West Virginia for a road game against the Mountaineers on Sunday at noon.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State’s NCAA-record 3-point shooting streak ends at 945 games
