After Iowa State played Colorado, Megan Ronhovde, who went 6 of 6 from 3-point range, said it was the most fun game she has ever played in.

Saturday’s 73-69 win over No. 13 Texas changed her mind, though.

Ronhovde hit a three from the right corner with 24 seconds left to break a 66-66 tie and put the game in Iowa State’s hands.

“I was basically sitting in the corner, kind of minding my own business, and it was set up for Mary [Fox] on the top of the key,” Ronhovde said.

But the Longhorns defended the set play, and sophomore point guard Lyndsey Medders had to improvise. She drove the lane, pulled a double team and kicked it out to Ronhovde for the trey.

“You’re talking about a kid that was 0 [for] 13 for a while, and now she’s made nine in a row,” said ISU head coach Bill Fennelly. “But you’ve got to take those shots in big games, and she took it.”

The win, coupled with Texas Tech’s loss to Baylor, put Iowa State (18-2, 8-1 Big 12) in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with only seven remaining conference games.

The next game, though, will be a real challenge.

The Cyclones take to the road on Tuesday to play No. 12 Texas Tech.

“My theory with our kids has always been this; we don’t want this to be the highlight of our season,” Fennelly said. “It’s right up there, it’s a great win and we’re going to celebrate it, but you don’t play well from here, you kind of roll to the end, and people kind of forget and wonder, ‘What happened to that team that beat Texas?'”

The team that beat Texas had to hold on until the very end, as the Longhorns would not leave quietly.

Even after Ronhovde’s three and two free throws by Anne O’Neil, Daria Mieloszynska hit an NBA-range 3-pointer to cut Iowa State’s lead to two with four seconds remaining. The Longhorns quickly fouled O’Neil, and the senior guard sank her ninth and 10th free throws of the game.

“I practice them so much that you know you’re going to be able to do it,” she said.

Texas stayed close throughout the game. The largest lead by either team was only eight points, and that was a 10-2 Longhorn advantage with 15:30 left in the first half.

The Cyclones stormed back and didn’t trail the entire second half, though Texas did tie the game twice. Every time the Longhorns got close, Iowa State seemed to have a response.

“I think that’s what good teams do, which they did. They just kept beating us back,” said Texas head coach Jody Conradt. “I think had we played the first half the way we played the second half, that would have been our best chance to win the ballgame.”

For the rest of the season, every game Iowa State plays is part of jockeying for a higher seed in the NCAA tournament. A tournament berth is all but a lock for the team, although Fennelly said he isn’t convinced the Cyclones have clinched anything.

“We’ve got to get to a certain number [of wins], and we just added another number today,” Fennelly said.