AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (3-0) rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Auburn (3-1), 67-64, and advance to the championship of the Preseason WNIT. Freshman Ashley Joens put up a team-high 18 points, while senior Bridget Carleton scored the game-winning basket with nine seconds remaining to lift the Cyclones to victory.

Carleton stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday’s win, putting up 15 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. She was followed in the scoring column by Madison Wise (13) and Meredith Burkhall (10).

How It Happened
The Cyclone offense struggled to find its rhythm from the outset against a scrappy Auburn defense. Despite generating a number of open looks, Iowa State opened the game 1-of-13 from the field, missing its first eight shots from beyond the 3-point line. Carleton helped right the ship after the slow start, scoring seven points in the opening quarter to help close the gap to 18-13 after 10 minutes.

Iowa State clawed to within 24-21 on a Madison Wise layup midway through the second quarter, but a 12-0 Auburn run ensued, book-ended by triples from Janiah McKay and Emari Jones. Joens and Wise responded with treys of their own to stop the run, but Auburn still led 38-29 at the intermission.

A 10-0 Cyclone run early in the third quarter brought the Hilton Coliseum crowd to its feet. Joens and Wise each knocked down triples to narrow the deficit to just 41-39 with 6:34 to play in the period. Wise would later tie the game at 45-45 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the quarter.

It was the beginning of a 13-0 spurt, with Iowa State taking his first lead of the night on yet another Joens triple just nine seconds into the fourth quarter. The Tigers climbed back to within two at 56-54 with 4:28 to play, but Carleton and Alexa Middleton combined to score 10 straight to extend the lead

Late-game heroics from Auburn’s Janiah McKay ensued, as the Tiger guard hit three triples in 47 seconds, the last of which tied the game at 64-64 with 41 seconds to play. However, Carleton had the last word, with a game-winning drive to the basket for a lay-in with nine seconds remaining. She also swatted McKay’s final shot attempt out of bounds in the closing moments to secure the 67-64 win.

Up Next
Iowa State will take on the winner of Thursday’s Marquette vs. Miami semifinal game. The Preseason WNIT championship game will be played Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised live by CBS Sports Network.