Kansas City, MO - The Nebraska women’s basketball team played No. 11 Iowa State tough, but the Cyclones pulled away in the second half for a 74-55 win over the Huskers in front of 7,126 fans at the Big 12 Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday evening.

With the win, Iowa State improved to 22-7 overall while advancing to a second-round matchup with third-seeded Colorado at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Nebraska ended its season with a 14-16 record after losing five consecutive games to close the year.

The Huskers trailed by just 10 points at the half, but after Keasha Cannon and Katie Robinette both exited the game with four fouls with 14 minutes remaining, ISU went on an 11-0 run to turn a 51-42 lead into a 62-42 advantage to put the game out of reach. Cannon and Robinette returned to the game but both fouled out with more than seven minutes left in the game to end NU’s upset hopes.

Fouls and free throws were definitely the difference in the basketball game as the Cyclones outscored Nebraska at the line 36-11, including a 16-for-20 free throw performance from ISU’s Angie Welle. The Cyclone senior center finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while hitting just 3-of-6 shots from the field. Iowa State finished the game 36-of-42 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line, while Nebraska hit 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) free throw attempts.

The Huskers forced 18 turnovers and limited ISU to 4-of-15 shooting from three-point range, but weren’t able to overcome Iowa State’s free throw shooting advantage. Lindsey Wilson and Tracy Gahan were both 6-for-6 from the free throw line, as both players finished with 14 points to help the Cyclones. Alexa Johnson was the only Husker to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points and grabbing two rebounds before fouling out. Cannon finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Robinette added eight points and three boards. The Cyclones erupted out of the blocks, opening the game with a 9-0 spurt sparked by five points from Lindsay Wilson. After ISU pushed the lead to 14-2 after a jumper by Angie Welle with 15:22 to go in the first half, the Huskers responded to cut the lead to 24-20 after four straight free throws by Margaret Richards with 8:10 left in the half.

However, Iowa State answered with a 12-0 run to take its biggest lead of the half at 36-20 after two free throws by Welle with 4:08 remaining in the half. The Huskers continued to battle, cutting the lead back to 41-31 at halftime.

The Cyclones made a living at the line in the first half, connecting on 21-of-24 free throws, including 12-of-14 free throw shooting by Welle, who scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half alone. ISU managed just nine first-half field goals, while attempting just 18 shots from the field, while the Huskers hit 11-of-33 first-half field goal attempts. NU was 6-of-6 from the line in the first half.