Spokane, WA – Hallie Christofferson registered a double- double with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as the Iowa State Cyclones captured a 72-60 win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Also having a strong game for the fifth-seeded Cyclones (24-8) were Chelsea Poppens and Brynn Williamson with 19 and 17 points, respectively, while Nikki Moody filled out her stat line with nine points, seven boards and a game-high 11 assists.
The 12th-seeded Bulldogs (27-6) were paced by Haiden Palmer who recorded a rather unusual double-double with 14 points and 10 steals, but she ended up shooting a mere 6-of-21 from the floor, including 1-of-8 behind the 3-point line. Taelor Karr responded with 15 points and seven boards in the setback.
Shooting only 38.2 percent from the floor and failing to make it to the free- throw line in the first half, Gonzaga was lucky to be trailing by just three points at the break, 34-31.
In the second half the Bulldogs saw their accuracy drop to just 27.0 percent from the field, including 2-of-13 beyond the arc, as they suffered the double- digit loss.
Iowa State converted 52.3 percent from the floor on the day and made all but one of 18 attempts at the charity stripe, all crucial considering the squad was saddled with a staggering 23 turnovers.
With the victory, Iowa State advances to the second round of the tournament and will face fourth-seeded Georgia which defeated Montana on Saturday, 71-50.
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