This was a win needed, and it was won in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

With 18:56 left in the game, ISU freshman Tracy Paustian’s three-pointer flew high off the rim . and fell through the hoop.

Then Angie Welle scored in the lane and Paustian’s second three-pointer was good 30 seconds later. The rout was on.

Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale tried to slow it, if not stop it, by calling a time out.

But the time out was in vain.

In vain because the first minutes of the second half, the Cyclones were in the open floor – point guard Lindsey Wilson said she thought the Cyclones made more transition baskets in the first five minutes of the second half than they did in all the first – and they were rebounding and defending well.

At its height, the lead was 20 points when Welle, on the right block, slung a shot under the arms of the Sooners’ defense with 9:33 left.

Welle scored more as the game progressed because her teammates did too.

Oklahoma guard LaNeishea Caufield said Welle is the first prerogative, but “when Gahan and the others make threes, you can’t sag on Welle,” which, in turn, gives the center room to operate.

And indeed, the Sooners spent most of the second half trying, but failing, to contest open Iowa State shots.

The Cyclones made 78 percent (18 of 23) of their attempts in the final half.

Welle finished with 28 points, Gahan with 25, Wilson with 16.

Iowa State made half of their second half three-pointers (4 of 8) while giving up none in the second to Oklahoma.

“They played hungry. They played inspired. You don’t dig yourself in a hole in this place,” Coale said.

Whatever digging was done, Sooners forward Caton Hill helped.

Foul trouble and a Cyclone defense suddenly respectful of her offensive prowess limited her to four points in the second half after she scored 13 in the first.

The Cyclones’ zone defense, which the Sooners never grew accustomed, did in the second half what it had done in the first.

But with a 14- to 20-point cushion for most of the second half, the Sooners never drew even.

“Shots just feel different against a man or zone,” Coale said.

Second half rebounding was also important.

Wilson said the Cyclones run best when they rebound well, especially defensively.

In the second half, Iowa State out rebounded Oklahoma 20 to 16 and grabbed 16 defensive rebounds to Oklahoma’s six.

Oklahoma came in with a 4-0 record in the Big 12. But Tuesday’s game had perhaps as much to do with vanity as perfection.

The Sooners had lost seven straight to the Cyclones and here before them was a chance to put it to a struggling Iowa State team.

And yes, the Cyclones were struggling.

After a perfect non-conference schedule, Iowa State had lost three of its first four conference games.

And Tuesday night didn’t look any better.

Oklahoma was ranked third in the nation.

But it never came to that.

When asked after the 82-66 win what would have happened had his team lost, Fennelly said “We didn’t lose. I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question.”