The Iowa State Women’s basketball team forced overtime but ultimately came up short against Texas 82-73 in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals on Saturday. The Longhorns outscored the Cyclones 25-18 in the third quarter and 19-10 in the overtime period. Rori Harmon opened the overtime with two threes for the Longhorns to help them pull away.

Harmon finished with 30 points and 4 assists. Lauren Ebo added 14 points, all in the second half to help the Texas effort. The Longhorns improved to 25-6 and will face Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game on Sunday.

Iowa State was led by 33 points and 13 rebounds from Ashley Joens. Lexi Donarski had 11 points and the Cyclones fall to 26-6.

The Creighton Bluejays gave Villanova a tough test but the Wildcats edged out a 54-48 win in the Big East Championship Game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Collin Gillespie came up with two huge threes in the final two minutes to give Nova the win.

Creighton played strong defense to stay tight all game long but they couldn’t get shots to fall. The Jays went just 3 of 29 from 3-point range and shot just 33% from the field.

Ryan Kalkbrenner had 19 points and 8 rebounds to lead Creighton as they fall to 22-11. Ryan Hawkins was held to just 2 points and pulled down 8 rebounds.

Gillespie led Villanova with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Justin Moore added 16 for the Cats. Villanova improved to 26-7.

Jordan Bohannon banked in a deep three with one second left to send Iowa past Indiana 80-77 and into the Big Ten Tournament Championship. Iowa was down much of the game but rallied late to take a lead in the fourth. Indiana got a steal and a layup to tie it at 77 with under thirty seconds left before Bohannon’s shot.

Keegan Murray had 32 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Hawks. Jordan Bohannon finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. The Hawkeyes improved to 25-9.

Indiana was led by 31 points and 10 rebounds from Trayce Jackson-Davis. Their record falls to 20-13.

Iowa will take on Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament Championship today. Purdue advanced with a 75-70 win over Michigan State in the other semifinal. We’ll have coverage on KJAN with pregame at 1:30 p.m. and tipoff at 2:30 p.m.

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) — Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® announces the return of the Set the Pace Challenge during the Grand Blue Mile. This year, registrants can participate virtually or in person on April 26 in downtown Des Moines, coinciding with the 112th edition of the Drake Relays presented by Xtream® powered by Mediacom®. The challenge encourages Iowans to develop sustainable, healthy habits to adopt throughout 2022.

As part of the challenge, the community with the highest percentage of its residents participating in the in person or virtual Grand Blue Mile — measured by the number of registrants for a given ZIP code against its total population — will be awarded $10,000 to use on a project that promotes safe, inclusive and accessible places in which to be active, such as a park, playground or trail. Additional information and resources, including past project videos and a digital toolkit for communities are available here.

“Participating in Wellmark’s Set the Pace Challenge couldn’t be easier this year as we’re giving Iowans the opportunity to engage in the setting that suits them best — in person or virtually,” said Chris Verlengia, Wellmark’s marketing activation & alliance manager and Grand Blue Mile co-race director. “Wellmark constantly strives to improve community health and this challenge provides a tremendous incentive for Iowans to enjoy a family-friendly physical activity, while working together to create inclusive and accessible green spaces, right in their own hometowns.”

Register today: Registration for the 2022 virtual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark is now open at grandbluemile.com. Registration is $15 for youth and $20 for adults. As part of Wellmark’s commitment to improving the health of Iowans, all proceeds benefit Iowa Kidstrong youth fitness programs and support student participation in the annual Drake Relays.

The Drake Bulldogs saw their run a the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament end on Friday with a 63-49 loss to second-seeded Missouri State. Drake had a 15 point lead early in the game as Missouri State struggled from the field but the Bulldogs wore out down the stretch.

Sydney Wilson and Brice Calip both had double-doubles to lead the Lady Bears to the win. Wilson had 17 points and 13 rebounds, 15 of those points after halftime. Calip added 11 points and 10 boards. Missouri State will face UNI in the semifinals on Saturday.

Drake was led by 11 points from Katie Dinnebier and Maggie Bair and Grace Berg each added 9. The Bulldogs end the season at 18-13.

UNI blew past Valporaiso 63-39 to reach the MVC women’s tournament semifinals. Kam Finley led the Panthers with 16 points and UNI locked down defensively in a big way to advance.

The Panthers held the Beacons to just 28.6% shooting and forced 14 turnovers. Grace Boffeli added 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Panthers move to 21-9 on the season. They will meet second-seeded Missouri State in the semifinals on Saturday at 4:02 p.m. in Moline, Illinois.

The Iowa State women’s basketball team advanced past West Virginia 66-60 at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. The Cyclones weathered a couple scoring droughts in the quarterfinal game to advance on to the semifinals Saturday. A 20-9 second quarter advantage propelled the Cyclones to the win.

Emily Ryan and Lexi Donarski each scored 14 points and Ashley Joens had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Cyclones. Iowa State improves to 27-5 on the season.

Next up the Cyclones will face Texas in the semifinals Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The game will be televised on ESPN+

The Creighton Bluejays ripped past the top-seeded Providence Friars 85-58 on Friday to reach the Big East Tournament Championship Game. The Bluejays busted out to a 42-27 lead by half and kept their foot on the gas in the second.

Atlantic’s Ryan Hawkins had 8 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Alex O’Connell led four players in double-figures with 18. Arthur Kaluma had 17 and Ryan Kalkbrenner and Trey Alexander each added 15.

The Bluejays improve to 23-10 on the season. They will meet Villanova in the Big East Tournament Championship game on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Central Time at Madison Square Garden.

After a slow start Iowa took control at the Big Ten Tournament.

Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen on the Hawkeye Network. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 18 in an 84-74 win, Friday, over Rutgers.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. Keegan Murray had 26 points. Jordan Bohannon added 16 as did sophomore guard Tony Perkins.

The Hawkeyes play Indiana in today’s (Saturday’s) semifinals. The Hoosiers stunned top seeded Illinois in Friday’s first game. The tip-off is at Noon.

Friday, March 11

Class 1A Championship

North Linn, Troy Mills 52, Grand View Christian 48

North Linn grinded out a State Title by handing Grand View Christian their only loss of the season.North Linn had a five point lead heading into the fourth quarter and held on. Dylan Kurt had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Tate Haughenbury added 15 points and 6 boards. The Lynx finish at 27-1.

Grand View Christian was led by 15 points and 18 rebounds from 7-footer Daniel Tobiloba. The Thunder finish 26-1.

The Lynx grab their second championship in the past four years. They won the Class 2A title in 2019, were runners-up in 2A in 2020, and runners-up in 1A in 2021. The Lynx also got a little bit of program revenge after losing in the 2018 1A title game to Grand View Christian.

Class 2A Championship

Rock Valley 74, Central Lyon, Rock Rapids 51

Rock Valley jumped out front early with a 17-6 edge in the first quarter and rolled to a title. Landyn Van Kekerix had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block to lead the Rockets. Brys Van Grootheest had another big outing with 25 points and 3 steals. The Rockets finish at 22-5. Central Lyon got 15 points and 3 assists from Zach Lutmer and they end the season at 24-3.

Class 3A Championship

Dallas Center-Grimes 56, Central DeWitt 53

Dallas Center-Grimes built a 9 point lead through three quarters and had to fend off a Central DeWitt rally to win the 3A crown. Jacob Runyan poured in 31 points and had 4 assists to lead the Mustangs. Bo Huston and Cole Glasgow each added 10 points as DC-G finishes 22-5. Central DeWitt got 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists from Shawn Gilbert. They finish the year 20-7.

Class 4A Championship

Ames 68, Johnston 37

The Little Cyclones roared their way to a state championship with a dominating effort against the Dragons. It was 17-8 after the first quarter and a 20-point lead by half. Iowa State signee Tamin Lipsey finished his prep career with a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Trevion LeBeaux dropped in 18 points and had 5 boards. Lucas Lueth added 12 points as the Little Cyclones finish 23-3. Johnston was led by 15 points from Trey Lewis and their season finished with a record of 21-4.