ISU coach Bill Fennelly does not believe technical fouls motivate teams.

That might be news to his players. Fennelly drew a technical foul with 2:33 remaining in the first half of the 62-54 victory over Iowa on Wednesday.

The crowd of 12,662 was behind him 100 percent. So were his players, who used it as a rallying point the rest of the game.

“If he’s going to fight for us, then we’re going to fight for him,” said freshman forward Brynn Williamson. “He can say it didn’t motivate us, but it sparked something. When he got intense, we all just went crazy. We felt like this is our time, this is our game.”

Iowa State closed out the first half on an 8-4 run and trailed 27-26. The Cyclones continued to take control by going on another 8-4 run at the start of the second half.

The Cyclones found their scoring in the second half from all sides. Freshman point guard Nikki Moody, senior shooting guard Lauren Mansfield, junior forward Chelsea Poppens and Williamson all finished with double digit points.

Mansfield lead the team with 15 points while Moody chipped in 13. Poppens and Williamson contributed 10 and 11 points respectively.

Iowa State managed to get the win despite shooting below 40 percent for the game for the fourth straight contest.

“Statistically, it wasn’t our best (game), but that’s the kind of game Iowa State fans are used to seeing from us,” Fennelly said. “Play hard, play with an amazing amount of passion and energy. Everyone contributed. It was certainly a big win for our team.”

Along with Moody, Williamson has proven she can come in and contribute right away as a freshman. Her 3-point shooting ability has given the Cyclones a boost off the bench this season.

Williamson scored nine of her 11 points from behind the arc, while shooting 3-6 from long range. On the season, Williamson has shot close to 40 percent on 3-pointers.

“It was really good to have all the fans there when I was coming off the bench and hitting the shot and knowing all my teammates were behind me,” Wiliamson said. “Everyone was so pumped.”

Mansfield also stepped up. She has struggled to shoot the ball for the early part of the season, but shot 50 percent from the field against the Hawkeyes.

Junior forward Chelsea Poppens went out late in the second half with a knee injury. There is no word on when she is due to return. Junior center Anna Prins played 10 minutes tonight and scored two points. She has also been battling a knee injury during the early part of the season.