Cyclones Clinch Sweet 16 Berth With 71-57 Win

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? Ten years after its first-ever Sweet 16 berth the Iowa State women's basketball team is heading back following a 71-57 win over Ball State Tuesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena. It marks the fourth Sweet 16 berth in school history, all of which have come under the direction of head coach Bill Fennelly.

The Cyclones will face ninth-seeded Michigan State, which upset top-seeded Duke, Saturday night in Berkeley, Calif. The game will begin at 8 p.m. central time.

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"It's hard to describe and it's hard to put into words," Fennelly said. "It's one of those things that after you see the bracket when it comes out you're thinking about how much fun it would be to do it and represent your school. People say that we haven't been here in seven years but a lot of people never get there. I'm excited for our players and I'm excited for our staff and I'm really excited for our seniors because it is something special that they can talk to a lot of people about. The biggest thing for me is that I get to keep coaching this team, we get to practice and play again."

Nicky Wieben led four Cyclones in double-figures with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Kelsey Bolte added 16 points, finishing 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Amanda Nisleit posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Alison Lacey finished with 13 points.

Nisleit scored all 14 of her points in the second half as she keyed a 15-6 second-half ISU run that helped the Cyclones take control of a tight contest.

The first half started slow with Ball State tying the score at 8-8 after Patrice King notching a steal and fast break layup. The Cyclones responded with an 11-4 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers, to go on top 19-12 with 7:49 remaining but the Cardinals turned to Green who scored five straight to draw BSU to within two (19-17).

The Cardinals took the lead with 5:43 remaining in the half on an Audrey McDonald 3-pointer but Bolte knocked in a long ball of her own to give ISU a 22-20 lead. Bolte's 3-pointer ignited a 9-5 run to end the half as the Cyclones went into the break with a 28-25 edge despite eight first half turnovers.

Bolte led the Cyclones with 10 first-half points while Green paced the Cardinals with 12 in the opening stanza.

Early in the second half it seemed that for eery Cyclone run Ball State was there to answer, drawing to within two at 41-39 less than a minute after ISU had pushed its lead to seven.

The Cyclones then took control of the game with a 15-6 run over the next six minutes to go up 56-45 following a 3-pointer by Nisleit. ISU nailed its free throws down the stretch to clinch its fourth-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

The Cyclones had just two turnovers in the second half, one of which came as they ran the shot clock out at the end of the game. ISU shot 45.2 percent (14-31) from the field in the second half and hit 10-of-11 free throws to clinch the win.

Iowa State hit 10-of-25 3-pointers in the game, giving it 26 3-pointers in two postseason games this season. Ball State finished just 2-of-11 from behind the arc.

Green led the way for the Cardinals with 18 points while Jade Barber had 13.

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Team Stats

Nicky Wieben

Kelsey Bolte

Amanda Nisleit

Alison Lacey

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Amanda Nisleit

Amanda Nisleit

Nicky Wieben

Nicky Wieben

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