Once again the Cyclones’ defensive performance led them to victory.

Because of Texas Tech’s ability to draw the foul, and its strong game in the post, ISU coach Bill Fennelly put the Cyclones in a zone defense, something they hadn’t played all year. It paid off in a 59-52 victory Saturday night at the United Spirit Arena.

“We were really worried about their inside game and their ability to get people in foul trouble,” Fennelly said in the news release. “We wanted to try and double team and get them in foul trouble.”

The Cyclones found an answer on the offensive end of the game as well from senior Amanda Nisleit. The forward led the Cyclones to a victory over Texas Tech with a career-high 19 points. Nisleit also added seven boards and was 9-11 from the free-throw line.

Although Nisleit had a solid performance, the Cyclones shot a low 33.3 percent from the field, making defensive stops crucial in Lubbock on Saturday night.

The Cyclones held the Red Raiders to just 52 points, 13 points below Tech’s season average of 65. With a poor shooting percentage for the Cyclones, defensive stops were a crucial part of the win.

“Any time you win against Texas Tech, it’s a good win because they are a great program,” Fennelly said.

Texas Tech shot a cold 20 percent from the field in the first half, but made up for it by shooting 5-6 from the free-throw line. The Cyclones dominated the boards, pulling down 24 in the first half alone and scoring ten points off of second chances compared to Tech’s zero.

Iowa State had a 22-16 edge over the Red Raiders going into the break. However, Texas Tech came out with momentum in the second half with a 3-pointer from Dominic Seals and two more jumpers to take a quick lead of 23-22.

The Cyclones had several scoring stretches, one of which began after senior Nicky Wieben hit a jumper in the second half and Iowa State went on a 10-3 run to extend the Cyclone lead. Wieben added eight points and ripped away eight rebounds for the Cyclones.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Fennelly. “We played really hard against a good team in a great environment.”

Iowa State had another 11-0 stretch and held Texas Tech scoreless for more than four minutes in the second half. In the run, seven points came from Nisleit, who hit four free throws in a row and then added a three-pointer for the Cyclones.

Senior Heather Ezell posted 16 points and grabbed four steals and two boards for Iowa State. Junior Alison Lacey had a cold night from the field, but found her job on the offensive end by dishing in eight assists for Iowa State.

The Cyclones travel to Missouri on March 3 for their final regular season road game.