Cyclones Top Nebraska, 63-52, to Advance

DALLAS - Iowa State got 20 points from Anne O'Neil to lead the ninth-seeded Cyclones to a 63-52 win over No. 8 Nebraska in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament Tuesday afternoon. O'Neil was questionable all week, practicing little due to a nagging foot injury, but put in 39 minutes to help ISU advance for a noon matchup Wednesday against No. 1 seed Texas.

"You come out and give 40 minutes because you are only in the Big 12 Tournament once a year," O'Neil said. "I've got to give credit to the trainers and to my teammates who got me out there. It will feel better tomorrow."

Iowa State relied on a suffocating defense, scrappy rebounding and timely offense to give Bill Fennelly his 13th Big 12 Tournament victory. The Cyclones limited the Huskers to a season-low 32.8 percent shooting, including a 29.4 percent performance from behind the arc.

"We slowed down their perimeter players and didn't give them as many looks," Fennelly said. "If you hold a team to 50 points, that says a lot about how you committed to playing defense."

ISU held a 26-22 halftime advantage behind the guard play of O'Neil and Lyndsey Medders. The duo had seven points each in the first half to lead Iowa State.

The early minutes of the second half was a seesaw affair, as the lead changed hands four times in the first 9:40. ISU took the lead for good at the 10:20 mark on a basket by O'Neil. Iowa State clung to a slim lead until O'Neil sank two free throws at the 4:18 mark, sparking a 7-0 ISU run over the next 2:44 to give the Cyclones an 11-point advantage with under two minutes to play.

Iowa State then relied on clutch free-throw shooting to ice the contest. The Cyclones converted 20-of-24 from the line. Senior Erica Junod led ISU, going a perfect 6-of-6, while O'Neil made 7-of-8 and Medders sank 5-of-6.

"This was a gratifying moment for our team," Fennelly said. "We came here last year in this game and lost, so we were on our way home before most of the teams showed up. So I'm very proud of our effort against a team in Nebraska that I think belongs in the NCAA Tournament."

Iowa State advances to face No. 1 seed Texas at noon Wednesday. The Longhorns won this season's only previous meeting 67-45 in Austin.

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Team Stats

Anne O'Neil

Lyndsey Medders

Erica Junod

Mary Fox

Players Mentioned

Erica Junod

Erica Junod

Lyndsey Medders

Lyndsey Medders

Anne O'Neil

Anne O'Neil

Anne O'Neil

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics