It’s amazing what one win can do.

Sitting at 1-4 and near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference, the ISU women’s basketball team needed a win when it defeated the Colorado Buffaloes, 65-45, on Wednesday.

Freshman Kelsey Bolte said the Cyclones wanted to prove themselves with the win.

“Getting beat as badly as we did at K-State upset a lot of us,” Bolte said. “We wanted to show everyone that we are still going to put a lot of effort out there for them and for us.”

Now the Cyclones (13-6, 2-4 Big 12) have a chance to get themselves back to .500 with their three upcoming games. That stretch starts Saturday with Kansas, which is tied at the bottom of the conference with Missouri. Iowa State then returns home for games with that Missouri team again and then with Texas Tech, whom the Cyclones are tied with.

Head coach Bill Fennelly said this part of the Cyclones’ schedule is set up a little better.

“There is no question that, if you can go down there and have a good effort, [you can] find a way to steal on the road,” Fennelly said.

Hilton Magic gives Cyclones a boost again

Iowa State trailed, 12-9, against Colorado on Wednesday, and it looked like it could have been another long night for the Cyclones.

Junior Heather Ezell, however, was able to hit a three to tie the game, which brought the crowd of 9,995 to their feet. That started a 12-2 run, and the Cyclones were able to keep that crowd going with two other long runs that ran their lead to 26 at one point.

“To see almost 10,000 fans last night, that shows the loyalty our fans have for us,” Ezell said. “To be able to come out and play the way we did, and for them to get hyped and loud always makes us play better.”

The Cyclones are now 25-3 at home in their last two seasons.

Fennelly said these fans are some of the most exceptional in the country.

“I can’t thank the fans enough for coming out to watch a team that was 1-4 and not playing very well,” Fennelly said. “Tonight was a good night and one I hope they’ll think about for a long time.”

Cyclones bounce back from adversity with authority

Very few teams go through with what the Cyclones have in the last three weeks. Iowa State has suffered through an ACL injury to second-leading scorer Nicky Wieben and a three-game losing streak.

That streak included their second straight home loss – the first time that’s happened since the 2005-2006 season – and a 31-point loss to Kansas State.

Iowa State responded to its much-needed week off with resounding authority, and Fennelly said he loved seeing the smiles following the game after everything had happened.

“This is one of the moments in coaching that you really appreciate,” Fennelly said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to put us in the top 25, but to see them react the way they did after the game was really special.”

Super Bowl Conspiracy

When he walked into his weekly press conference on Monday, Fennelly seemed distraught about something.

“Is Tom Brady all right?” Fennelly asked about New England’s starting quarterback, who had been avoiding questions from the media about a potential injury. “I wanted to make sure – I haven’t been able to sleep over the weekend worrying about him.”

Fennelly later on offered up his thoughts on Brady’s “boot.”

“I think it’s a whole [Bill] Belichick conspiracy to take the pressure off of Randy Moss,” Fennelly said. “Randy Moss hits a woman, and we’re worried about Tom Brady wearing a boot and going to see his girlfriend.

“What are those flowers? As much as he makes, get her some roses, man,” he said.

Who is his pick to win the game?

“I think the Giants are going to win,” Fennelly said.