Updated at 11:12 p.m. CST March 19

FRESNO, Calif. — A 7-0 run by the Utah Utes to end the first half doomed the ISU women’s basketball team Saturday as the Cyclones bowed out of the first round of the NCAA tournament, 73-61.

Iowa State led 34-19 with just over two minutes left before halftime, but the Utes brought the game within eight points at the break.

“Utah was tremendous,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “We knew they were a good team and they played that way. We just didn’t have an answer for some of the things they did on offense, and that’s to their credit.”

The intermission didn’t cool off the Utes as they caught fire in the second half, shooting 59.3 percent.

The resurgence was led by junior Julie Wood, who brought Utah within four points by connecting on three free throw attempts after she was fouled from beyond the arc by Megan Ronhovde.

“They shot the ball great in the second half,” Fennelly said. “They ran a lot of good stuff. We were changing defenses as often as we could, and Julie would hit some big shots. Wood was the key early in the second half.”

That was just the beginning of the end for Iowa State; Wood would go on to nail three straight 3-pointers. She was joined by teammate Kim Smith, who added to the long-range barrage as the Utah knocked in four straight from beyond the arc to take a 47-44 lead.

“They did to us what we did to other teams,” Fennelly said. “When you hit the three, that really changes the game dramatically.”

Wood hadn’t hit a 3-pointer in a month. Her last was Feb. 19 against Air Force when she was 1-of-1; since then, she had been 0-of-5.

Things became worse for the Cyclones when senior center Katie Robinette picked up her fourth foul with 12:49 left in the game. With Robinette gone, the Mountain West Conference co-player of the year, Smith, took charge of the lane. Smith finished the game with 22 points and eight rebounds.

“They had a huge second half,” Robinette said. “They made almost everything they shot, and we just couldn’t stick with them in the second half. We just couldn’t play with them. They were a better team.”

For the first half, Iowa State was the better team, shooting 53.8 percent in the opening half.

The Cyclones, tied for first in the nation in 3-pointers, hit 6-of-11 from long range in the first half but could only connect on two in the second half.

California native Lyndsey Medders banked in a 3-pointer 20 seconds in to the game, and the Cyclones led by a comfortable 15 points with 2:14 left in the first half.

During that stretch, the Cyclones found offensive output from an unlikely source in Tracy Paustian. After only scoring a combined four points in the last six games, the senior tied a season-high by scoring eight points off the bench in the first half.

“She’s always been waiting her turn and done what’s been asked of her,” Fennelly said. “She played a great first 16 great minutes of basketball.”

The Cyclones five seniors — Paustian, Robinette, Anne O’Neil, Mary Fox and Lisa Kriener — scored 41 of Iowa State’s 61 points, led by O’Neil, who finished the game with 14 points. Medders added 12 points and three other Cyclones scored eight points apiece. Fox, who averages 10.8 points, was held to five on 2-of-7 shooting.

Utah 73, Iowa State 61

at Fresno, Calif.

Utah (26-7) — Smith 10-17 0-0 22, Thorburn 5-13 5-8 15, Wiid 4-9 5-5 17, Sitterud 1-6 2-2 5, Perry 0-1 0-0 0, Carlsen 2-5 0-0 5, Brouillard 0-0 0-2 0, Hanchett 4-5 1-4 9, Allen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 13-21 73.

Iowa State (23-7) — Fox 2-7 0-0 5, O’Neil 6-12 2-2 14, Medders 4-10 1-2 12, Robinette 4-9 0-0 8, Ronhovde 3-5 0-0 8, Paustian 3-4 0-0 8, Kriener 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 25-53 3-4 61.

Halftime — Iowa State 34, Utah 26. Three-point goals — Utah 8-23 (Smith 2-5, Thorburn 0-3, Wood 4-7, Sitterud 1-5, Carlsen 1-3), Iowa State 8-20 (Fox 1-5, O’Neil 0-1, Medders 3-7, Ronhovde 2-4, Paustian 2-2, Kriener 0-1). Rebounds — Utah 32 (Smith 8), Iowa State 34 (Robinette, Kriener 7). Assists — Utah 17 (Thorburn 10), Iowa State 14 (Ronhovde 5). Turnovers — Utah 6, Iowa State 16. Fouls — Utah 10, Iowa State 18. Fouled out — Robinette. A — N/A.