Iowa State dominated from tip-off to final buzzer yesterday, beating the Eastern Illinois Panthers 84-46.

Megan Taylor played 26 minutes, and scored 18 points. She and the rest of the starters were able to sit and watch more of the game due to performances such as freshmen Erica Junod’s.

Junod ended the contest tied with Taylor’s game-high 18 points, while also securing five rebounds and handing out four assists.

She admitted that she felt more comfortable yesterday than she had against Iowa. “After you hit a shot,” Junod said, “you get going.”

Taylor and Junod were the only two Cyclones to score in double-digits. Nevertheless, many more Cyclones took an active hand in putting points on the board than against the Hawks last Wednesday.

Junod played 29 minutes, more than any other Cyclone. Forwards Holly Bordewyk and Kelly Cizek also saw extended action, scoring seven and four points respectively.

Tracy Gahan grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds while scoring seven points. As a team, Iowa State outrebounded Eastern Illinois 43-24.

Erica Haugen was 3-4 from the floor and finished with nine points.

Angie Welle, playing only 20 minutes, ended with nine points and seven rebounds.

In fact, all 12 active Cyclones (Sarah Robson nursed her sprained ankle) saw action.

Eastern Illinois’s Renee Schaul was regarded by Fennelly as the Panthers’ best player. She scored 17 points in the Panthers previous game against Bradley.

Iowa State held her to four.

“I thought this morning at the shoot around, they were very focused, and ready to play, which is good,” Fennelly said after the game.

Iowa State went into the first time-out with a nine point advantage, 13-4.

Later in the first half, Iowa State’s 2-3 zone defense denied the Panthers a basket for 5:36. At half-time, Iowa State eased into the locker room with a 43-18 lead.

In the second half, not many cheers were made by the Cyclone fans. They were content with the blowout that took place before them.

But Fennelly is never content.

Concerns for Fennelly and the rest of the coaching staff, as the Cyclones enter into a difficult run of five games in 11 days, are the turnovers the team committed and the lack of a back-up center that can be depended upon as the season progresses.

“Turnovers have been a problem for us since the day I got here,” Fennelly said. “The ones we’ve got to get away from are illegal screens, three second calls … the decision ones.”

As for someone to spell Angie Welle, freshmen Kate Bauman and senior Gintare Cipinyte combined to play one half’s worth of action.

But “we’ve got to find a back-up center who we know can do the job,” Fennelly said.

Bauman finished with two points, while Cipinyte also tallied two.

The Panthers ended the game with 31 percent made from the field. Eastern Illinois center Pam O’Connor was the only Panther to score in double-digits, finishing with 14.

The Cyclones will host a difficult game, Fennelly said, against Creighton on Wednesday.