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Iowa State Outlasts Oklahoma on Taylor Robertson's Record-Breaking Day

The Cyclones played spoiler to Taylor Robertson's new NCAA record, splitting the season series with the Sooners.
Ross Lovelace|
Iowa State Outlasts Oklahoma on Taylor Robertson's Record-Breaking Day
Iowa State Outlasts Oklahoma on Taylor Robertson's Record-Breaking Day

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Oklahoma Sooners

In typical Taylor Robertson fashion, the Oklahoma star did everything in her power to keep the Sooners in the game on her historic day. 

Her 25 points weren’t enough this time, though, as No. 18 Iowa State got revenge in Ames, toppling No. 14 Oklahoma 86-78.

"Really wanted to win this one," Robertson said after the game. "It was a great environment to play in. It was a lot of fun, I just wish we could've come out on top.”

Despite OU's loss, the story of the game revolved around Robertson’s record-breaking afternoon. 

It’s been highly anticipated for some time, but Saturday made it official: Robertson is the new NCAA 3-point record holder, standing alone at the top after nailing her 498th career trey.

Her record-breaking make came wrapping around a screen at the top of the key, something that has become all to familiar for Robertson.

"That was cool," she said with a smile. "I've had quite a few of those in my career here, so it was only right."

After breaking nearly every long-range program record across her five seasons in Norman, Robertson has now etched her name into the NCAA record books.

"Even right now, it's hard to believe that it's actually true, because there's so many great shooters that have played college basketball over the course of time," she said. "It's just really cool to be up there."

Robertson's time in Norman has been nothing short of historic. She's played in 137 total games, averaging 15.9 points per game throughout her career and 43.8 percent from 3-point range. 

Saturday was more of the same, as she turned in her best performance of the season trying to will the Sooners to victory.

The McPherson, KS, native poured in 25 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. She made six total 3-pointers on the afternoon.

Nevaeh Tot added four treys of her own, while Madi Williams chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds. Those three were the only Sooners in double-figures.

But Ashley Joens' 32-point performance was too much for Oklahoma to handle. The senior was 10-of-22 from the floor and seemed to have an answer for every OU bucket. In addition to Joens, every Iowa State starter scored 11 points or more.

Oklahoma came out firing after the disappointing loss to Texas on Wednesday night. After a Williams jumper with 7:20 left in the opening frame, Iowa State took a timeout to stop the Sooners’ 8-0 run to start the game.

With 4:18 left in the opening quarter, Robertson drilled the record-breaking 3-pointer, giving Oklahoma a 16-11 advantage on the scoreboard.

The Sooners led 26-18 after a strong first quarter. It didn’t take the Cyclones long to respond, though.

Iowa State controlled the entire second quarter, clawing back into the game behind efficient offense and a flurry of 3-pointers. Oklahoma and Iowa State entered halftime deadlocked at 42-42.

Oklahoma started the second half in the exact same manner as the first, an 8-0 run. Robertson and Tot hit back-to-back triples to extend the lead to eight, prompting an Iowa State timeout with 7:25 remaining in the third quarter.

From there, Iowa State took over. The Cyclones ended the quarter on a 23-6 run, and Oklahoma had no answer for Joens’ long-range attack. Heading into the fourth quarter, Iowa State held a 65-56 lead.

Robertson converted on a shot at the rim to bring the Sooners within three, trailing 66-63 with 8:04 left in the game.

Iowa State extended its lead to seven with under five minutes remaining, and Oklahoma seemed to be running out of gas. Robertson wouldn’t let the Cyclones close the door, though, drilling an and-one 3-pointer with 4:32 left, making the score 71-68.

That was the closest the Sooners came, however, as the Cyclones’ final run was the most important of the afternoon, allowing Joens and Iowa State walked away victorious on Robertson’s historic day.

Next up for Jennie Baranczyk and the Sooners, OU returns home to Norman to face a struggling TCU team on Tuesday night.

Published
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners since 2018. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and the Sooners On SI podcast. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross started with Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and worked for Sooners On SI and Thunder On SI. Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross and his wife live in New Orleans, where he is a Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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