Editor’s note: In Bill Fennelly’s fourth season, he completed the transformation of ISU women’s basketball and brought it into the national spotlight. A victory over perennial powerhouse UConn in the Sweet 16 highlighted the team’s first deep run into the NCAA Tournament.

When Bill Fennelly took over as head coach of the ISU women’s basketball team in 1995, he inherited a program that had only five winning seasons in its 22-year history.

By the 1998-99 season, Fennelly’s Cyclones were on the rise, amassing 59 wins in three seasons and the team’s first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, Iowa State had still not broken into national consciousness.

That all changed with one game.

Fueled by two of Iowa State’s all-time top scorers, Megan Taylor and Stacy Frese, the Cyclones cruised to a 20-6 regular season record, earning a four seed in the NCAA tournament.

“I’ve never been around a group of people that cared that much about each other, a group of people who’s talents meshed together,” Fennelly said. “We had a shooter, defensive player, a rebounder. It was one of those teams that all the pieces fit perfectly together on the court.”

Once the tournament started, Iowa State had relatively little trouble advancing through the opening two rounds, which put the Cyclones on the brink of their first trip to the Elite Eight.

But one colossal roadblock stood in the way.

For five seasons, starting in 1994, the Connecticut Huskies had complied an astonishing 147-7 record and one national championship.

In 1999, the 27-4 Huskies had yet again secured a No. 1 seed.

On March 20, 1999, with only the four-seeded Cyclones opposing them, Connecticut was highly favored to make their sixth straight trip to the Elite Eight.

When tip-off finally arrived, Iowa State remained unfazed by the highly ranked Huskies and the glare of media coverage surrounding the game.

From the opening tip-off, the Cyclones were able to match the Huskies step-for-step.

By halftime, the game was tied at 28. Connecticut finally appeared to be putting the game away as the Huskies pulled out to a seven-point lead in the second half.

Iowa State, however, made one last push for the lead.

With 5:26 remaining, the Cyclones’ Monica Huelman sank a 3-pointer to put her team within three points of the lead. From there, Iowa State went on to drain four more 3-pointers in the waning minutes, cementing a 64-58 upset.

Minutes after the victory against the Huskies, Iowa State’s players were aware of the magnitude of what had happened.

“[This win] means a lot for our program considering where we were four or five years ago,” Taylor told the Iowa State Daily.

“We went from one of the worst programs in the country to the Elite Eight. It’s amazing how much we’ve turned it around.”

Although the Cyclones would fall in the next round to Georgia, the impact had already been made on the Iowa State women’s basketball program.

“I think [the win] sent a message that — for a place that had never been good — that it was possible that Iowa State could have a decent women’s team,” Fennelly said earlier this season.

Since 1999, the Cyclones have continued to produce a winning program. Fennelly’s teams have won at least 21 games in seven of the last 10 seasons, including two Big 12 championships.

Fans in Ames have also responded to the Cyclones’ success. In Fennelly’s first season at Iowa State’s average attendance at Hilton Coliseum jumped from 6,115 during the 1998-99 season, to 11,184 the following year.

The Cyclones have been ranked in the top 10 nationally in home attendance ever since.

Even 10 years later, the impact of the 1999 Elite Eight run is still felt.

When Iowa State held a 10-year anniversary ceremony at halftime of this season’s game against Kansas State, members from the 1998-99 team were greeted at center court with a thunderous standing ovation.

In a great coincidence, this year’s Cyclone squad, who watched on from the bench, would go on to become only the second Iowa State women’s team to make the Elite Eight.