DENVER – All year Iowa State has been able to beat teams by playing solid inside and shooting lights out from the perimeter.

Ironically, in the end, it was that same lethal inside-outside combination that led to the Cyclones demise.

Vanderbilt, led by Chantelle Anderson inside and Ashley McElhiney outside, blasted past Iowa State 84-65, and advanced to the Elite Eight.

Anderson scored 34 points on 16 of 23 shooting while McElhiney toasted Cyclone defenders for 23, going 7 of 9 and making five shots from behind the arc.

“There were times when we would guard the outside and they would push it in,” ISU sophomore point guard Lindsey Wilson said. “Then there were times when we would guard the inside and they would kick it out.”

Anderson proved to be the difference in the game as she was unstoppable in the post, no matter who was guarding her.

“We tried everything we could,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. That included putting All-American Angie Welle on Anderson, backup center Gintare Cipinyte and junior forward Kelly Cizek.

“[She was] scoring regardless of who was on her,” Vanderbilt head coach Jim Foster said.

Anderson wasn’t fazed by any defenders as she scored at will in the post. Sometimes there was a Cyclone defender on her, other times she was all alone down low for an easy two.

“I just tried to work a little harder for the ball,” Anderson said. “I tried to post up strong and really focused on going up strong.”

Welle said the position Anderson got allowed her to score regularly.

“She was getting great position,” Welle said. “She was backing me so far down and getting great shots.”

And if that wasn’t working, the Commodores had the luxury of kicking the ball outside to McEhliney, who was hot from long range.

“We’ve had a great inside-outside game all year,” Anderson said. “I have confidence that if I don’t have a shot inside, if I get inside and I don’t have a shot that I can kick it out and the guards will hit shots, and they were doing that tonight.”

McElhiney broke the game open for Vandy with under three minutes to play in the first half. With the Cyclones trailing only six, 31-25, McEhliney scored the last nine points for the Commodores, leading the team into the half on a 9-2 run.

All of the points came on threes and when she nailed the final one with 30 seconds left, Vanderbilt enjoyed a 13-point cushion, 40-27.

“We were making the extra pass and it happened to be me, the man that was left open and I knocked the shot down,” McEhliney said.

And once she got hot, she was looking for the shot.

“We were scoring pretty regularly down in the post,” McEhliney said, “and therefore it opened up the perimeter shot. My shot was there and I took it.”