The Cyclones knew things were going their way when senior center Lisa Kriener drained a three from the top of the arc. Not much went wrong during Iowa State’s 74-54 tilt against Nebraska on Saturday, especially in the second half.

Anne O’Neil scored 15 points to lead the Cyclones, while Mary Fox, Lyndsey Medders and Katie Robinette each added 14.

“Iowa State is a hard team to guard,” said Nebraska head coach Connie Yori. “They have four perimeter shooters on the floor at any given time, and they have an inside presence with Katie Robinette or whomever is playing the 5 for them.”

Yori was ejected from the game with 2:47 left to play after arguing a no-call by the referee.

“It was time to leave,” she said. “I had had enough.”

The No. 19 Cyclones extended their winning streak to 12, which ties the school record. Their record improved to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big 12, equaling Iowa State’s best start, recorded during the 2000-01 season. That team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament that season.

“I think anytime you can be 15-1 and 5-0, you have to be very proud of that, and I’m very proud of my team,” said head coach Bill Fennelly. “I thought Mary Fox and Lisa Kriener were really good and really impacted the game. I think Lisa gave us a lot of energy off the bench.”

Kriener played a season-high 29 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds. She also hit a three-pointer that put the Cyclones up by 13, and put a dagger in the Cornhuskers’ hopes for a comeback.

“I think if anybody would have hit that shot, it probably would have put us down a little bit,” said Nebraska sophomore Kiera Hardy. “Its just something that happens.”

Hardy, the Huskers’ leading scorer with 19.6 points per game, got close to her average against the Cyclones with 17. However, it took her 16 shots to get there, shooting only 1-7 from behind the arc.

Freshman Danielle Page was the only other Cornhusker to score in double digits, finishing the game with 10. Eight of those came in the first half, which helped Nebraska remain close.

“We just didn’t defend well. We made some poor choices on defense,” Page said. “They made some huge shots, just some huge shots.”

Those shots didn’t come until the second half. Nebraska kept the game close with a combination of points off turnovers and strong play from Page. Every time Iowa State made a run, Hardy or Page answered right back.

“Nebraska just kept coming at us, like I knew they would,” Fennelly said.