ASU Upsets Iowa State in Big 12 Tournament Thriller

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

KANSAS CITY, Mo – A sea of red and gold filled the stands of T-Mobile Center, a normal sight for Arizona State women’s basketball. The logos, though, showed Cyclones, not Sun Devils. ASU found itself in a hostile environment in its second-round matchup of the Big 12 Tournament against Iowa State.

With the entire arena erupting after every Cyclone bucket, the only thing separating Wednesday’s contest from any other Iowa State home game was the court under the players’ feet.

However, the Sun Devils didn’t give the Cyclone faithful much to cheer about, sending them packing back home to Ames.

10th-seeded ASU took down seventh-seeded Iowa State in an upset, 77-68. The win pushed the Sun Devils’ record to 24-9, their highest mark in 10 years.

“They had strength in numbers,” said senior guard Marley Washenitz. “But we had strength in energy.”

From opening tip to final buzzer, the Sun Devils never relinquished their lead over the Cyclones. The affair was 40 minutes of ASU dominance.

Defensively, the Sun Devils were everywhere, swarming Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, the Big 12 Preaseason Player of the Year, every time she touched the ball in the post. When the ball was kicked out beyond the arc, two pairs of Sun Devil shoe soles screeched on the court from their close-out towards a shooter. The Cyclones couldn’t get open – and if they could, they weren’t for long.

“We wanted to dictate where the ball went,” head coach Molly Miller said. “We wanted to be a play ahead.”

The defensive intensity was evident from the game’s opening tip.

Senior guard Last-Tear Poa guarded Iowa State’s primary ball handler the length of the court. The Australian native was essentially attached at the hip to any Cyclone bringing the ball up the court, shadowing for all 94 feet.

The Sun Devils’ relentless defense fueled their scoring.

They opened the game with a 17-2 run in the first five minutes. Every Cyclone miss was followed by a Sun Devil basket. Iowa State head coach described it as the “worst five minutes we’ve played in a long time.”

Iowa State went over eight and a half minutes in between its first and second field goals. Its scoring was exclusively supplemented by free throws.

The Cyclones first quarter struggles bled into the following period. In total, only six of their shots caught the bottom of the net in the first half. 40 percent of Iowa State’s 25 first-half points came from the charity stripe.

Referees’ whistles came at a higher clip than made shots. The Sun Devils’ aggressive defensive nature made it a frustrating affair, leading to 51 total fouls between the two teams.

With foul shot opportunities coming in abundance, the question became whether you could make them.

ASU’s 82.1 percent from the free-throw line proved crucial in the win, with several key makes down the stretch.

Poa and freshman guard Amaya Williams both stepped up to the line on several occasions in the waning minutes of the match, needing to convert to put the game away.

They went a combined 9-for-12 in the fourth quarter, helping seal the deal for the Sun Devils.

Despite the parade of free throws, ASU’s 48 percent from the field, combined with four players hitting double figures, led to one of its best offensive performances of 2026.

The Sun Devil charge was led by graduate guard Gabby Elliott, who nearly reached a triple-double. Before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Elliott posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.

Elliott’s performance Wednesday was a stark contrast from her outing the night before. Against Arizona, she notched only four points, shooting 1-for-6 from the field.

Elliott’s turnaround mirrored her team’s, as the Sun Devils delivered a much different performance than the last time they faced the Cyclones.

Less than a month ago, ASU fell to Iowa State by a 26-point margin. But that was February. This is March.

The Sun Devils now look to further bolster their resume ahead of the NCAA tournament. With No. 2 West Virginia awaiting Friday, ASU will look to keep the upset momentum going.

Whatever the result, though, Fennelly believes he just faced a team worthy of the big dance.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” he said. “That’s an NCAA tournament team. They played great in every way, and they did a lot of things to us that we struggled with.”

Miller echoes the sentiment, but she thinks beating Iowa State will pad ASU’s resume and give it an undeniable reason for an at-large bid.

“We got our signature win today,” Miller said.