As the ball went out of bounds with 23.9 seconds left in the game, one of the referees signaled to the five Cyclone players who were crouched by the scorer’s table waiting to check in for the starters.

The crowd of 12,689 stood and filled Hilton Coliseum with a deafening sound of applause. Tears welled in Amanda Nisleit’s eyes as Nicky Wieben tried her best to control her emotions. Heather Ezell lingered for a moment at center court, her hand directed out toward the crowd in triumph.

All five members of Iowa State’s senior class — Ezell, Nisleit, Wieben, Toccara Ross and Jocelyn Anderson — eventually made their way off the court and took their spots on the home side bench for the final time Saturday night.

“I joke with people all the time about how hard this job is, but that’s a moment that makes it without question the best job there is,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “It’s an honor to say those kids are on our team and play for our school.”

The impact this year’s seniors have had on the program can be easily seen. In this season alone, the senior class, which includes two members of the 1,000-point club — Ezell and Wieben, has contributed for more than half of Iowa State’s season point total —1053 out of 1918.

With all the fanfare surrounding senior night, emotions tend to be all over the board.

“I think I was as nervous as the first time I played here,” Wieben said.

For Ezell, the magnitude of the game hasn’t fully set in.

“I honestly don’t think it’s hit me yet. I really wasn’t nervous before the game,” Ezell said. “I’m sure in the morning it will start to sink in.”

Despite Ezell being the only guard among the five, the senior class started the game the same way they exited.

“To start us five and for us to be successful with it and on from there is something that shows a lot about the senior class,” Ezell said. “We were going to do whatever it took to end our career at Hilton with a win.”

That promise was fulfilled almost right away.

Nisleit help settle any rouge emotions the seniors might have had as she drained a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds into the game, sending the Cyclones out to an early 3-0. Iowa State’s starting five proceeded to score the team’s first 15 points of the game.

“After the first couple of minutes my nerves calmed down and we got back into the regular rotation,” Wieben said.

The standout performance by the seniors continued throughout the game, with 46 of Iowa State’s 59 points coming from members of the ’09 class.

Instead of heading for the doors when the final buzzer sounded, a majority of the crowd stayed rooted to their seats. The seniors, accompanied by their families, made their way toward center court. After Fennelly finished handing bouquets of flowers to each of them, the seniors took turns thanking everyone for their support over the years.

“To see those young people articulate their feelings about their fans and their families is truly special,” Fennelly said.

Nisleit took the opportunity to not only offer her thanks, but also to take a friendly stab at her head coach, who in the past has joked that Nisleit has such a poor vertical she wouldn’t be able to jump the Gilbert phone book.

“Coach Fennelly – you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Nisleit said, tossing a phone book to the ground. “Not only can I jump over the Gilbert phone book, but I can jump over the Ames one, too.”

Then, to the crowd’s delight, she proceeded to show off with a small bunny hop.

Although Saturday brought the seniors’ career at home to a close, the end to Iowa State’s season is still out of sight as the team switches its focus to defending its third seed at the Big 12 tournament.

“We take everything in segments,” Fennelly said. “The regular season ended. It’s done. We’re proud of it. We’ll talk about it when the banquet comes. As of right now when I walk up stairs will start on the Big 12 tournament and that’s all we’ll talk about.