Lauren Mansfield watched the ball spin through the air from the corner. 

It hit off the front iron, the top off the backboard and then through the basket. 

That shot seemed to stop the Sooners in their tracks. Before it, Oklahoma had come all the way back from being down 15 points at half time, cutting the lead to three. 

“I really liked that 3, that was really nice,” Mansfield said. “I thought it was going over the rim, so when it popped in, it was good.”

ISU coach Bill Fennelly had a little bit different perspective on the shot that secured Iowa State the 77-71 victory against Oklahoma on Saturday.

“I don’t know what it hit or where it went,” Fennelly said. “I have no idea.”

It went in. Add to that making nine of 10 free throws with less than a minute to go and the Cyclones (16-9, 7-7 Big 12) pulled out the 77-71 win. 

That shot was only one of Mansfield’s career-high six 3-pointers on the night. She scored 22 points, one shy of her career-high, all coming from behind the arc and behind the free-throw line.

Mansfield’s 3 was only one of a few shots that had the “home-court” luck. Mansfield even went as far as mentioning Hilton Magic as a reason it might have gone in. 

“The rims in this arena love the Cyclones,” said OU coach Sherri Coale. “How many balls sat on the rim and went, ‘Eh I think I’ll go in’? It’s like it knows what color [jersey] shot it.”

Two minutes into the game, Hallie Christofferson hit her only 3 of the night. That bucket, however, extended Iowa State’s nation-leading streak of games with a 3-pointer made to 542, turning 17 years old Sunday night. 

“The 3 has become a pretty big part of our game,” Fennelly said. “It’s just part of what we do and we love the 3. It allows us to compete in a league where we’re not going to get as good of players as everybody else.”

In the game, Iowa State banged a season-high 11 3-pointers. The previous season-high was 10 and the Cyclones nearly matched that in the first half with eight. 

The Cyclones were also hot from the free-throw line. On the night, Iowa State made 20-of-24, shooting 15-of-18 in the second half. 

The Cyclones were able to ice the game, making nine of 10 free throws while Oklahoma tried to catch up by fouling. The only free-throw missed was Nikki Moody’s front end of a double-bonus that she smirked at when it didn’t drop. 

Moody didn’t make a 3-point basket in the game against the Sooners. On the other hand, she dished out a career-high 11 assists. The numbers weren’t the only thing that spoke to Fennelly. 

“To her credit, [Moody is] a kid who didn’t play well the other night,” Fennelly said. “[She] got benched, didn’t play in the second half, didn’t start tonight. To her credit, 11 assists, 35 minutes, making her free throws was huge in this game when we needed it.”

With her 11 assists on the night, Moody became Iowa State’s record-holder for most assists in a game as a freshman with 11, passing Lyndsey Medders’ 108 in 2003.