Monday March 21st Local Sports

MILWAUKEE — It was an ugly game but a sweet finish for the Iowa State men as the Cyclones are headed to the Sweet 16. ISU’s defense smothered Wisconsin in a 54-49 win in Milwaukee on Sunday evening.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. A year after posting a 2-22 record, the Cyclones head back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.

The Badgers shot less than 30% and made only 2-of-22 from three point range.

Gabe Kalscheur led the Cyclones with 22 points.

Izaiah Brockington added 10 points as the Cyclones improve to 22-12 on the season. The 11th-seeded Cyclones face the 10th-seeded Miami in the Midwest regional semifinal on Friday night, with the tipoff scheduled to start at 8:45 PM. The Hurricanes knocked off the second-seed Auburn 79-61.

 

 

AMES — The Iowa State women raced out to a 23-7 lead at the end of one and clobbered Georgia 67-44 Sunday night in Ames to earn a spot in the Sweet 16.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. It is ISU’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2010. The Cyclones held the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting and won the battle on the glass, 49-38.

Fennelly says the Cyclones were locked in from the beginning.

Lexi Donarski led the Cyclones with 20 points and during a timeout early in the game the end of the men’s game in Milwaukee was shown on the video board.

Iowa State is now 28-6 on the season.

 

 

IOWA CITY — The Iowa women faltered late in an NCAA upset loss at home. Creighton closed the game on an 8-2 run to stun the 8th-ranked Hawkeyes 64-62 in Iowa City on Sunday afternoon, as you heard on AM-1300 KGLO. Iowa transfer Lauren Jensen led Creighton with 19 points and her late three pointer was the game winner.

Jensen’s heroics lead Creighton to a first-ever trip to the Sweet 16.

In front of a record-setting crowd the Hawkeyes came up short in a bid for a third straight trip to the Sweet 16.

That’s Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. A season that included a Big Ten regular season and tournament title ends with a record of 24-8.

Iowa shot less than 36% and made only 5-of-22 from three point range.

That’s Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark who was limited to 15 points on 4-of-19 shooting.

Creighton will face Iowa State in the Greensboro regional semifinal round on Friday night.

 

 

 

PROVO — The Northern Iowa men’s basketball season came to a close on Saturday night as they fell at BYU 90-71 in the second round of the NIT. Noah Carter had 24 points while AJ Green had 16 for the Panthers, who end their season with a record of 20-12.

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH — The Drake men won their opening round of the College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach Florida on Saturday night, beating Purdue Fort Wayne 87-65. Okay Djamgouz had 20 points, including six-three pointers, while Garrett Sturtz and Tucker DeVries each added 14. Drake now faces North Carolina-Wilmington in tonight’s quarterfinal round.

 

 

 

DES MOINES — The UNI and Drake women match up tonight in Des Moines in the Women’s NIT second round. UNI won their first-round game against Kansas City 75-58 while the Bulldogs topped Missouri on Thursday 83-78. Drake swept the Missouri Valley Conference regular season series.

 

 

 

SAUK RAPIDS — The Mason City Toros had their season come to a close on Sunday after falling in the West Division Finals. The Toros fell on Friday night to Granite City 4-0 but bounced back with a 3-1 win on Saturday at home to tie the series. Granite City then closed out the series on Sunday with a 6-1 win over the Toros, eliminating them from the post-season and advancing to the Fraser Cup Championship.

MASON CITY — The North Iowa Bulls were swept by Aberdeen over the weekend with identical 4-3 scores on Friday and Saturday night. The Bulls remain seven points out of the final Central Division playoff spot with eight regular season games remaining. North Iowa hosts Minot for a weekend series on Friday and Saturday night.