It was another home trouncing by Missouri for the ISU women’s basketball team Saturday.

The Cyclones couldn’t bounce back from their loss to Kansas State earlier in the week and lost 81-62 at Hilton Coliseum. Missouri crushed Iowa State 86-55 last year in Ames.

Missouri came into Ames having just lost by 34 points to No. 4 Texas. Iowa State lost to the Wildcats Wednesday, shooting a dismal 28.6 percent from the floor.

Missouri is now 12-8 overall and 3-6 in Big 12 play. Iowa State has lost four of its last five games and now sits at 10-10 overall, 3-6 in the conference.

“I’m sure they were excited. They’re a decent team and do a lot of good things. They have a lot of seniors that have a lot to play for,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. “We didn’t defend very well, and we’re obviously struggling right now, and that’s no question. I take full responsibility for that. I’m the one in charge, and I’m the one who has to manage this team.”

The Tigers got going early in the first half as they jumped to a 23-17 lead with 6:18 remaining in the half.

Senior Erica Junod said the quick Missouri start had a big effect on the game.

“It was hard when they got out on a run in the beginning there. We have to be a team [like] that; we have to create our own energy,” Junod said. “The crowd was here to help us tonight, but we didn’t get them into it. I take the blame. I’m a senior on this team. I need to get this team ready to go.”

In the second half, Iowa State pulled within eight at 42-34, but the Tigers responded and pulled away from the Cyclones, gaining a 24-point lead with 5:51 left in the game.

“Our kids played really hard coming out of the half and got it to 42-34. We had two wide-open looks at the basket, and if those go in, then who knows how the flow of the game is,” Fennelly said. “Instead, we miss them, they go down and score a couple of times and, now, you’re fighting again. They were a much better team than us tonight, there’s no question.”

Shooting percentage was heavily in the Tigers’ favor as they shot 54 percent from the floor. The Cyclones shot only 33 percent.

“It’s been a struggle of ours all year. We have great shooters on this team, and that’s one of our strengths. However, it’s hard to win games when you can’t find the basket,” junior center Lisa Kriener said. “It can’t carry over from game to game. We’re getting shots that we’re capable of hitting, obviously, but they weren’t falling, and that’s tough.”

Missouri was led in scoring by Evan Unrau’s 19 points. MyEsha Perkins and Stretch James both tallied 18 points. Iowa State’s Katie Robinette and Kriener each had 13 points.

Fennelly said Perkins was a tough defensive challenge for his team.

“She’s someone that hasn’t been playing a whole lot,” Fennelly said. “She’s athletic and a hard guard for us. I thought she played great — 18 points, seven assists, one turnover, that’s a pretty good night for anyone.”

Tigers head coach Cindy Stein said escaping Hilton with a victory is always pleasing.

“Obviously, we’re very proud of our team. I think this is a tough place to play, and I have a lot of respect for Coach Fennelly,” Stein said. “I really like the way our team responded. I think we had some big plays. When they got momentum, we can swing it into our favor, and I think that was the key.”

With a .500 overall record, Junod said, Iowa State needs to regroup before Wednesday’s game at Colorado.

“I think we need to find our little niche. We have to get together,” Junod said. “We have to evaluate and we have to move on. We have to find some enthusiasm and keep going.”