DALLAS – The ISU women’s basketball team came close to a monumental upset, but a late 3-pointer from Oklahoma’s Erin Higgins forced the Cyclones to bow out in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.

The shot kept No. 9 seed Iowa State from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Big 12 history, and No. 1 seed Oklahoma (27-4, 17-0 Big 12) pulled out the 78-74 win.

In the conference’s 10 years of existence, No. 1 seeds are 10-0 all time in second-round games.

“When Higgins hit that three, it hit us in the heart,” said Lyndsey Medders, who eclipsed 1,000 career points in Wednesday’s loss.

“That was probably the shot that put us under.”

Much like the rest of the league, the Cyclones were unable to stop freshman center Courtney Paris, who dropped in 36 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks. It was her 23rd straight double-double.

The Cyclones couldn’t stop her, but didn’t necessarily want to either, using man-on-man coverage on the 6-foot-3-inch center through most of the game.

“That was my decision,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “We decided to take away as many three-point shots as we could.”

Paris agreed, saying Iowa State’s defensive scheme was a good one.

“I think it was a good strategy,” she said. “Down the end it was harder for me to finish.”

Iowa State held the Sooners to just 4-of-18 from behind the arc, but Higgins hit the one that really mattered.

“It’s a play that we run all year long to get [Higgins] open, to make defenses choose between Courtney [Paris] and the three-point shooter,” said Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale. “Standing right behind her tonight, as soon as it left her hand I knew where it was going.”

If the Cyclones fail to receive an invitation to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, seniors Brittany Wilkins and Kandice Beenken will have played their last game in Cyclone uniforms.

Fennelly said the seniors’ departure is a huge loss for the team, but the silver lining is that the Cyclones are returning 10 players from this year’s strong-finishing team, showing promise for next year’s team.

“I’ve never had a team finish this strong – ever,” Fennelly said. “What we went through yesterday and what we had to go through today . that wasn’t about basketball, folks – that was about some young people that have great pride in themselves and their program and their school.”

The Cyclones, however, are still heartbroken.

“You ought to be disappointed when you stick your heart and soul into something and it doesn’t work out,” Fennelly said. “I am proud of what they have done and very proud of how they finished this portion of their season.”

The Cyclones have opened a lot of eyes over the past few games, and impressed coaches from the league.

“[Iowa State] is offensively so explosive,” Coale said. “No matter what your lead is, you’re never safe . The other thing about it is Bill Fennelly is really, really good.”

The Cyclones will find out their postseason fate Monday.