Iowa State 64, No. 25 Nebraska 53

2/20/2007 9:04 PM

AMES, Iowa (AP) -Megan Ronhovde, playing her final home game, scored eight of her 15 points during a game-turning run that carried Iowa State to a 64-53 victory over No. 25 Nebraska on Tuesday night.

Lyndsey Medders, also a senior, added 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Cyclones (20-7, 8-6 Big 12), who used an 18-2 run to win for the fourth time in five games and increased their chances of landing an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

Nebraska (21-7, 9-5) lost its third straight, all to unranked teams. Kiera Hardy and Danielle Page led Nebraska with 12 points each, while Jelena Spiric had nine points and nine rebounds.

The Cornhuskers shot just 34 percent and went 5-for-24 from 3-point range.

Spiric scored the final seven points of a 9-0 run that chopped a 32-21 Iowa State lead to 32-30, but the Cornhuskers got no closer. Toccara Ross scored inside for the Cyclones and they pulled away.

Ronhovde hit two 3-pointers and scored on a spinning drive, while Alison Lacey and Heather Ezell each made a 3 as Iowa State stretched its lead to 50-32. Another 3-pointer by Ezell made it 53-34 with 8:02 left and the lead was never below 10 after that.

Ross finished with 10 points, including two straight jumpers after Nebraska drew to 58-48, and grabbed nine rebounds.

Nebraska missed its first seven shots and nine of its first 11, but the Cyclones couldn't capitalize because they were missing at their end, too.

Iowa State finally built a seven-point lead after Hardy went to the bench with her second foul. Hardy returned a short time later and capped a 9-2 run with a 3-pointer that drew the Cornhuskers to 21-19.

But Medders hit a 3 to end an Iowa State drought of more than four minutes, then drove the length of the floor after a Nebraska miss and made jumper just before the buzzer, prompting coach Bill Fennelly to pump his fist as the Cyclones went into halftime with a 26-19 lead.