Ezell, Cyclones Bomb No. 4 Texas A&M, 67-50

Wednesday, February 4

Ames, Iowa

7:00 PM

Iowa State

17-4; 5-2

Texas A&M

17-4; 5-3

Team	1	2	F
Texas A&M	21	29	50
Iowa State	33	34	67

Ezell, Cyclones Bomb No. 4 Texas A&M, 67-50

02.04.2009 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa ? Senior Heather Ezell hit seven three-pointers and everything else went right for the Iowa State women's basketball team as it thumped No. 10/4 Texas A&M 67-50 Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum. It was the Cyclones' first win over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 since knocking off No. 2 Texas Tech on Jan. 14, 2004.

Ezell finished with 25 points, while sophomore Kelsey Bolte poured in 17 points and was 7-of-14 from the field. She led ISU with seven rebounds. Amanda Nisleit also finished in double figures for the Cyclones with 10 points. Denae Stuckey turned in six rebounds and a career-high five assists. Iowa State shot 39.3 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three-point range (10-22) and outrebounded Texas A&M 43-29.

Complete Post-Event Coverage
Final Stats Notes Texas A&M Newsconference First Half Replay		Quotes Photo Album \| Purchase Photos ISU Newsconference Second Half Replay

“Obviously we're very proud of our team and the effort they gave from start to finish,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. “That was probably the best game we've played on both ends of the floor in a 40-minute span. Kelsey (Bolte) got us some shots early and Heather (Ezell) had one of those nights that players dream about. The way Stuckey played is how we win games here. She played 17 minutes, doesn't turn the ball over, has five assists, and guards well against a player (Starks) that is going to go pro. When you have back-to-back wins against ranked teams, it helps a lot.”

Takia Starks led the Aggies with 18 points, but the Cyclone defense held the rest of the squad under double figures. Texas A&M's 50 points were a season low. The Aggies shot 39.2 percent from the field and went 3-for-7 from outside the arc. Texas A&M compiled just five steals after entering the game averaging 12.4 per contest. Iowa State outscored the Aggies, 12-7 on points off turnovers and 18-9 on second-chance points.

Iowa State improved to 17-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12. It was the Cyclones' fourth consecutive win and snapped Texas A&M's three-game winning streak. ISU is 12-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season and is now 4-3 against ranked opponents. Texas A&M dropped to 17-4 overall and 5-3 in the league.

Iowa State led the Aggies, 33-21, at the intermission after Alison Lacey hit a running left-handed three-pointer at the buzzer. The Cyclones shot 37.5 percent over the first 20 minutes, but outscored Texas A&M, 12-0, on second-chance points after outrebounding the Aggies 27-12. Eleven of ISU's 27 rebounds at the break were off the offensive glass and TAMU was held without an offensive rebound the entire half.

Bolte scored 13 points and had seven rebounds at the break for the Cyclones. She scored seven of ISU's first nine points as the Cyclones got out to an 11-6 lead. The two teams traded field goals and free throws before Bolte scored four more for a 19-10 advantage.

Texas A&M cut the margin to five, 23-18, before Nisleit rolled off seven straight points. The senior nailed a three-pointer and then got two wide open looks under the basket with perfect feeds from Lacey and then Ezell to put ISU up 30-21. Tyra White hit a three for the Aggies with six seconds left in the half before Lacey threw up her left-handed three-pointer as time expired.

The Aggies scored coming out of halftime, but Ezell responded with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to go up 38-23. Texas A&M cut the margin to 11 before Ezell knocked down three consecutive three-pointers, including one falling away as the shot clock expired to give the Cyclones a 20-point cushion (47-27) with 13:45 to play.

“I think the biggest thing with Heather is that she is ultimately confident in a good way,” Fennelly said. “She's got that little bit of arrogance that goes with her abilities. You're talking about a kid that threw in a bunch of shots and threw up a prayer. We ran some stuff to get her some shots. She certainly has the ability. There's not a player on our team that plays with more energy and effort than she does. Certainly when she is making shots she dramatically changes the game.”

Texas A&M cut the margin to 16 (52-36) with nine minutes to go, but the Aggies never got closer than that the rest of the game.

The Cyclones will be on the road for their next two games. Iowa State will travel to Colorado (Feb. 7) and Oklahoma (Feb. 11) before returning to play host to No. 16/18 Texas for the Pink Zone game at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 15. All fans are encouraged to wear pink for the nationally televised game as the Cyclones promote breast cancer awareness and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.