AMES, Iowa – Scratch another milestone off the list for surging Texas A&M.
Danielle Adams scored 25 points and the sixth-ranked Aggies beat No. 20 Iowa State 60-51 on Saturday, snapping the Cyclones 19-game home winning streak with their first victory in Ames.
Sydney Carter added 13 for the Aggies (17-1, 5-0 Big 12), who picked up their 11th straight win and handed the Cyclones their first home defeat since Nebraska beat them 57-49 in last season's Big 12 opener.
"This is just pure history. It feels so great to win here," Carter said. "That's a sign of this team being mentally tough and physically tough. Just having that confidence to walk into the gym on the road in the Big 12 and come out with a win says it all about our team."
The Aggies finally broke through at Hilton Coliseum behind Adams, who finished with 12 rebounds and 14 second-half points as Texas A&M pushed a slim lead to 56-44 with 4:38 to go.
The Cyclones (13-5, 1-3) got to 56-51 with 1:17 left before the Aggies sealed the game at the free-throw line.
Kelsey Bolte had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Cyclones (13-5, 1-3), who lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Though Bolte racked up her fourth straight 20-point game in Big 12 play, Iowa State was done in yet again by a lack of scoring punch beyond their senior star.
"Kelsey Bolte is just amazing what she's been doing for this team ... with not a whole lot of help," Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. "We've had a lot of great players here, but they've had a little more help."
Iowa State had a week off to prepare for the surging Aggies. That wasn't nearly enough time to find an answer for the versatile and physical Adams.
Lauren Mansfield seemed to spark the sluggish Cyclones with a transition layup that brought them within 35-30. But Adams stepped out and drilled an open 3, and Carter leaned in for an 18-footer after a steal to help the Aggies pull ahead 42-30 with 12:13 left.
It was the first cushion for Texas A&M, which had beaten its first four Big 12 opponents by 28.4 points a game. Though Iowa State scored six quick points, Adams banked in a tough jumper and drained a fadeaway 3 from the corner to give Texas A&M a 47-38 lead with nine minutes left.
Adams, the Big 12's leading scorer entering Saturday's action, has scored 59 points in her last two games.
"When she's in the post, she never drops the ball," Bolte said of Adams. "She's great on the outside, too, and she hit some shots."
Carter and Maryann Baker then drilled 3s to put the Aggies ahead 56-44. The Cyclones scored the next seven points, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Fennelly was whistled a technical late in the first half after berating the officials for a couple of calls that didn't go the Cyclones way. Fennelly, never one to hide his emotions, had to be restrained more than once by his assistant coaches.
Fennelly apologized for the outburst after the game, saying that his "Irish temper" had gotten the best of him.
Mansfield had 13 points and six assists for Iowa State, though she added eight turnovers and missed a jumper with 42 seconds left that would have made it a one-possession game.
The game Saturday kicked off Texas A&M's most brutal stretch yet. The Aggies travel to face No. 14 Oklahoma on Wednesday night, then host top-ranked Baylor on Sunday in a matchup that promises to have major ramifications in the Big 12 race.
Texas A&M took a step in the right direction by winning in a gym that had caused them so much trouble in the past — and playing a style that favored the Cyclones.
"(Fennelly) wanted this game in the 50s. I wanted it in the 70s. We settled. I got to 60 — and we earn every bit of it," Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said.
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