Kansas City, MO. -A dream end to a magical game Wednesday rapidly turned into a nightmare for the women’s basketball team Thursday.

Coach Bill Fennelly sounded like a broken record after the game while singing the praises of the No. 4-seed Texas A&M Aggies, proclaiming more than once that they are playing better than any team in the country right now. Viewers of the semifinal matchup received a quick glimpse of that play while the Aggies got out to a 17-4 lead less than six minutes into the game.

It was a stifling press in the first 10 minutes that left the Cyclones in trouble.

“Texas A&M is a team that obviously relies on their defense and their pressure defense and taking you out of your stuff,” Fennelly said.

The Cyclones lost the game 65-53, and the game was rarely close. Suffocating defense and tremendous Aggie athleticism had the Cyclones hard-pressed to even shrink the lead to 12 by halftime, and they trailed by more through most of the first half.

It was a first half that featured an early technical foul by Fennelly, who was arguing a no-call, and a constant struggle by the Cyclones to recover from a blitzing start from A&M.

The Cyclones, however, never gave up, and early in the second half after five straight Alison Lacey points, Texas A&M’s lead was trimmed to five.

“Lacey did a hell of a job running her ballclub,” said Aggie coach Gary Blair. “We shut down Ezell, but Lacey did a great job of keeping her team in the game.”

After the lead was cut to five and the crowd had given the Cyclones momentum, a tragic cold spell came over the team and they went more than 10 minutes without a field goal. They relied on free throws to consistently keep the margin under 15.

Shooting the basketball was Iowa State’s savior in the previous two games, but doubled as their kryptonite on Thursday. They shot 36 percent from the floor and 59 percent from the stripe, making only six three-pointers in 26 attempts.

“You got to make a few more free throws when you get the chance, and make a couple more open threes,” said Fennelly.

An obvious rationale for the Cyclones’ poor shooting would be that they were fatigued and didn’t have the legs to get the ball where it needed to be. However, Lacey said it wasn’t an issue.

“I don’t think you can be fatigued in a semi-final,” said Lacey.

“You got to think of what you’re playing for out there. You kind of forget about it and you keep playing through it.”

The shooting woes were most prevalent with Heather Ezell, who was blistering in the first two contests, breaking multiple tournament records. She was held in check with just eight points on two-for-nine shooting, all three-pointers.

Lacey led the Cyclones with 15 points and six assists, but also committed six turnovers. She had one in the previous two games combined. Jocelyn Anderson added 10 points and six rebounds, and Ezell had 8 points and a team-high seven boards.

The Aggies have a lethal combination of athleticism and shooting ability. They hit one heart-breaking jump shot after another while keeping the Cyclones small in their rear-view mirror.

Morenike Atunrase came off the bench to score 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting for the Aggies. She was complimented by First-Team All Conference players Takia Starks, who had 15 points, and Danielle Gant, who had 10 points, six rebounds and a block.

Although they lost, the Cyclones are a virtual shoo-in to continue their season in the NCAA Tournament. Despite the comfort of near-certainty, Fennelly still seemed unsure of his team’s fate on selection Monday.

“I think our team is worthy of consideration,” said Fennelly.

“We play in the best conference in the country and I think this tournament showed the capabilities of our team.”

The Cyclones will know for certain Monday if they will continue on. If selected, they are guaranteed a spot in the Des Moines bracket, where games will be held at Wells Fargo Arena on March 22 and 24.