Oklahoma State, whether it knew it or not, used the best strategy possible to defeat Iowa State: Let the Cyclones beat themselves.

“We kind of killed ourselves,” said ISU center Angie Welle, who scored 18 points in the 64-63 loss to the Cowgirls. “The stupid mistakes we had or the offensive rebounds we gave up . We didn’t play well, we didn’t really match their emotion.”

Iowa State turned the ball over 19 times and was out rebounded by Oklahoma State 39-34. Despite the end of a five-game winning streak, the Cyclones aren’t too concerned about possibly falling into a slump similar to the early season.

“Nobody’s panicking, like, `Oh here we go again,” Welle said, remembering that the Cyclones were 2-5 in the conference early in the season. “We don’t have time to step back and panic about it.”

Indeed time is running short on the season, and the Cyclones are still in the battle for a bye in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament. At 9-6 in the Big 12 (19-6 overall) the No. 13 Cyclones sit in fifth place, one game behind Baylor, which is in fourth.

The top four teams get a bye.

Welle said regardless of their situation, the Cyclones aren’t going to be too concerned.

“If we have to play the first day of the Big 12 Tournament, we have to play on the first day,” Welle said. “Maybe our parents are going to have to adjust their work schedules or their flight plans. If we have to play another day, so be it.”

With only three games to go, the march to get a bye starts Wednesday night in Missouri. The Cyclones already own one win over the Tigers, a 87-61 triumph in Ames, and know that winning in Columbia is huge.

“Toward the end of the season, every game is important,” freshman Tracy Paustian said. “We need to get a few more games to get into the tournament and get a better seed in the Big 12.”

If they have to play in the first round, it may be no big deal, but don’t get the Cyclones wrong, they would certainly welcome a bye.

“From experience I can’t speak,” Paustian said. “I’d say getting that extra day and not having to play that extra game would be nice. We’d have that extra day to prepare, and it’d be just one less game that we’d have to play.”

As for this last loss, it’s just a speed bump in the road to the Big 12 tournament. Welle is confident that Missouri won’t be able to take the Cowgirls’ game plan, because it relied on too many ISU mistakes.

“There’s no outside excuse for it. We just weren’t ready to play,” she said. “We can’t be concerned or panic like Missouri is going to do it to us. We just got to go there and not let it happen next game.”

ISU point guard Lindsey Wilson is a finalist for the Conseco Nancy Lieberman Step Up Award. The award honors the nation’s top Division I women’s point guard. The finalists and winner are chosen by Associated Press sportswriters nationwide.

Wilson joins former Cyclone Stacy Frese as the second Cyclone to be nominated for the award.

The other finalists are Alena Beard of Duke, Sue Bird of Connecticut, Stacey Dales of Oklahoma, Sheila Lambert of Baylor, Kara Lawson of Tennessee, Brandi McCain of Florida, Ashley McElhiney of Vanderbilt, Tamara Moore of Wisconsin, Sara Nord of Louisville and Lindsey Whalen of Minnesota.