Heather Ezell and Megan Ronhovde made sure the ISU women’s basketball team didn’t falter against Akron on Saturday.

In a game the Cyclones (5-1) won, 76-43, Ronhovde and Ezell combined for 45 points, including a collective 13-for-24 from three-point range. In the first half, Ezell was 6-for-6. She finished the game 7-for-12.

“I thought Megan and Heather just were outstanding,” said coach Bill Fennelly.

“They played the game the way we needed to play it, and dramatically impacted the game from start to finish.”

Ezell may have gotten all of her misses out of her system in the pregame shoot.

“I didn’t make hardly a shot in warm ups,” she said. “I was a little nervous coming in, and after hitting that first shot, I kind of got into a groove and just stayed in it.”

Ezell had a career-high 27 points while chipping in five rebounds and three assists. Ronhovde added 18 of her own and eight rebounds. Iowa State’s 14 three-pointers were the most since the Cyclones buried 15 against Colorado on Feb. 2.

Akron’s Jessie Crooks was hot in the first half, notching 20 points. Ronhovde completely neutralized her in the second half, though, as she was held scoreless.

“We always say we never want players to have their career night against Iowa State,” Ronhovde said. “She was kind of on free reign in the first half.”

The rest of the team, though, left much to be desired in Fennelly’s eyes.

“I was disappointed overall in the rest of us,” he said. “We talked before the game about same uniform, same people, same faces, same building, you need the same energy, and we just didn’t have it. That’s something I have to get them to understand.”

Lyndsey Medders scored only five points, but quietly aided the team, adding 13 assists in 26 minutes played. Having played the entire game just two days earlier, Saturday provided an opportunity for her to rest while training the youth on the team.

Ezell was counted on to lead the team for some of the night, especially once the Cyclones held a comfortable lead.

“I’ve been a lot more confident with it,” Ezell said. “I just have to go out there and do whatever coach wants me to do.”

Now the Cyclones just want to be on the same page, contributing the same amount in every game the rest of the season.

“We have to be able to do this on a consistent basis,” Ronhovde said. “Everyone has to be able to come out; it can’t just be one or two of us.”

The Cyclones don’t play any games this week because of finals. They resume play Saturday in Des Moines against Northern Iowa for the Mediacom Cyclone Classic.

The break may have come at a good time for Iowa State, as the Cyclones have a chance to reflect and regroup on a tough week.

“It’s been a good week, we won three games,” Fennelly said. “If you would have said to any of us, ‘You’re going to be 5-1 heading into finals week without Rachel Pierson,’ I would have thought you were crazy.”

Through six games, though, Iowa State is happy with its performance.

“We didn’t really know what to expect at all,” Ezell said. “This is better than anything.”