CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Each time Northern Iowa came charging back, the answer for Iowa State was Hallie Christofferson.

The Cyclones (7-1) led much of the way against the in-state rival Panthers (4-6) on Monday at the McLeod Center, but late in the second half the game was still in question. At least until Christofferson hit a pair of shots to seal a 67-59 ISU victory.

“I thought they stepped up and hit some shots at some key times,” said UNI coach Tanya Warren of the Cyclones. “Especially Christofferson: she can post, she can shoot the 3, and she hit some big shots.

“You’ve got to give Iowa State credit, they stuck shots at key moments.”

With 5:11 remaining in the game the Panthers hit a 3-pointer to draw within five. Back at the other end of the court, though, Chelsea Poppens dished out an offensive rebound and Christofferson swished a 3-pointer to answer.

The Cyclones pushed their lead to 56-48.

After a few possessions with no action, Northern Iowa hit yet another 3-pointer with 2:55 left in the game to move back within five points. This time, at the other end, Christofferson dribbled in and hit a 2-point shot.

That was enough for the Cyclones as the team’s lead moved to seven points. Iowa State would score the next four points, building what became an insurmountable lead for Northern Iowa.

“There was probably five times in the second half [where] I’m on the verge of calling timeout,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “Every time they were in range of maybe one possession making it real interesting, we did something.”

Christofferson ended with 21 points — including 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc — and 10 rebounds. The junior played in all 40 minutes on the way to her third double-double this season.

The Panthers managed to hang with the Cyclones by shooting 3-pointers. Northern Iowa’s first 12 points came from beyond the arc and the team made 11 total 3-pointers on the night.

That strategy, however, also played a role in Northern Iowa’s loss. The Panthers went 11-of-34 on 3-pointers while going just 10-of-31 inside the arc.

“There were times we were taking the first open 3 when in actuality you really want to force Iowa State to defend,” Warren said. “We wanted to engage them in a little bit more ball screens.”

Iowa State outscored Northern Iowa 30-16 in the paint and in the end the Panthers were unable to make up the difference.

Poppens played 36 minutes for the Cyclones after playing 22 minutes off the bench in the team’s last game following her return from a concussion. The senior forward had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“We came in thinking they were going to double-team us quite a bit so us post players just came in ready to kick it out and if we were open just take it up,” Poppens said. “It turned out we could get into the post fairly well and score down deep.”

In the end, it was two daggers by Christofferson that helped Iowa State seal its 10th consecutive win against Northern Iowa.

“I was passing up some shots in the first half,” Christofferson said. “In the second half I just knew that I had to shoot them.”