International Herald Tribune
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With close losses starting to pile up, Iowa State got just the kind of win it needed for its NCAA tournament resume. Alison Lacey scored 15 points and Heather Ezell added 12, including the go-ahead free throws with 41.1 seconds left, as the Cyclones sustained a second-half rally by No. 15 Oklahoma State and beat the Cowgirls 62-57 on Sunday.
"This is huge on the road against a ranked team," Ezell said. "It's hard to do, especially in our league with the way that everybody's been playing at home. It'll be a great win for us and hopefully can build for us for the rest of the season."
The Cyclones (16-8, 5-6 Big 12) let a 13-point second-half lead slip away before getting it together in the final 2 minutes.
Ezell, who was fouled on the Cyclones' second straight offensive rebound, hit two foul shots to put Iowa State ahead 55-54 and the Cowgirls (20-4, 8-3) couldn't respond.
Andrea Riley, the Big 12's leading scorer, missed a layup on Oklahoma State's next possession and then flopped after heaving a long 3-pointer from the edge of the midcourt logo following two more free throws by freshman Kelsey Bolte.
Lacey added two free throws to stretch the lead to 59-54 before Riley sank a long 3 from the right wing to give Oklahoma State one last chance.
Iowa State was able to inbound the ball to Lacey, who was fouled and hit one free throw with 3.3 seconds left, and 5-foot-8 guard Denae Stuckey put back the second foul shot to provide the final margin.
Bolte finished with 12 points and Amanda Nisleit hit a career-high three 3-pointers and scored all 11 of her points in the first half for Iowa State, which improved to 1-4 in games decided by five points or less this season. It was the second time the Cyclones have upset a Top 25 team on the road this year.
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