ISU women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly gave the Cyclones a grade of “A-” on the “basketball final exam” after disposing of Northern Iowa 68-58 on Saturday.

Iowa State (6-1) started off slowly and Fennelly challenged the seniors at halftime. The senior quartet of Mary Fox, Anne O’Neil, Katie Robinette and Lisa Kriener responded.

After being held to a combined 12 points in the first half, the four ended the game on a flurry, finishing with a combined 44 points.

With the win, the Cyclones finished the first half of their season with only one loss and now travel to Las Vegas to partake in the Duel in the Desert.

Iowa State will leave on Friday after final exams and play Eastern Kentucky in the first round on Saturday.

Fennelly said this is one of the few times during the season that the pressure of school is not weighing on the team.

“There’s not a lot of time in the basketball season when all you have to focus on is basketball,” Fennelly said.

The Cyclones first focus — Eastern Kentucky — will enter the tournament with a 3-4 record. The Lady Colonels are averaging 64.9 points per game on 38.5 percent shooting, while giving up 69.7 points.

Miranda Eckerle (11.3), Pam Garrett (11.1) and Ashley Cazee (10) all score in the double-digits for the Lady Colonels, who play in the Ohio Valley Conference.

If the Cyclones eclipse Eastern Kentucky, host UNLV would be lurking in the wings. The Lady Rebels (3-4) are coming off a two-point loss to Michigan on Dec. 6.

Iowa State will be staying on the Strip, and even with all the distractions in “Sin City,” Kriener said the Cyclones only have one thing in mind.

“We’re going down there to play basketball and that’s the bottom line,” she said.

But there will be some time for fun, Kriener said. The ISU coaching staff is always good about letting the players have free time.

“A lot of our families are going to be there, so coach said, ‘All I’m asking is for you to focus on basketball now, and when we’re done, you can have fun,'” Kriener said.

Allowing the Cyclones to enjoy their time in Las Vegas is something Fennelly said will be a priority.

“If you’re not going to let the kids enjoy where they are, why go?” he said. “The deal is: give me three hours and you can have the rest.”

“You have to have the opportunity to allow them to enjoy the experience; some of these kids might never go to Las Vegas again.”