Daily Staff Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What could be the saddest night in Cyclone history continued its downward spiral in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday.

After learning of the men’s fate, the Cyclone women took the court in the Midwest regional semifinal against Big Ten champion Penn State.

Despite an inspired comeback and several noteworthy performances, the Cyclones fell, 66-65, on a last-second shot by Lady Lion Helen Darling.

After trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, Iowa State fought back and actually led, 65-64, on a pair of Angie Welle free throws with 28 seconds to play.

But All-American point guard Darling did exactly what she needed to do. With time running out, center Andrea Garner’s shot rattled off the iron and into the arms of ISU’s Megan Taylor. Darling raced into the lane, stripped the ball, and fired up a desperation jumper that rolled in to give Penn State a 66-65 lead.

“I really don’t remember what happened,” Darling said after the game.

The Cyclones, on the other hand, will likely never forget.

“[Darling] may not jump above people, but she can take the ball away from people, and that’s what she did,” Welle said.

“They made one more play than us tonight,” Cyclone head coach Bill Fennelly said, “and that was the difference.”

Iowa State had just over ten seconds to try to return the favor, but a final shot by Taylor rattled off the back of the iron and the game was over.

After building a reputation as a solid fundamental team with excellent outside shooting, both their shooting and their fundamentals seemed to fail the Cyclones at times throughout the contest.

Iowa State shot just over 30 percent on the night from beyond the arc and connected on just two of nine long-range shots in the second half.

They also committed nine first half turnovers and gave up 12 first half offensive rebounds.

Part of the Cyclones’ early trouble in the post was precluded by two quick fouls called on both Welle and senior Desiree Francis.

After the first four foul calls of the game went against Penn State, Lady Lion head coach Rene Portland responded with a verbal outburst on the sideline. Eight of the next 10 foul calls, and 12 of the next 17, were whistled on the Cyclones.

When asked how it felt to spend over 12 minutes on the bench in the opening frame, Welle was blunt.

“It sucked,” she said. “When you get one foul, you have to play smart, and I didn’t.”

The Cyclones, who built a nine-point lead with Welle in the game, watched it evaporate as she sat on the bench, eventually trailing 36-32 at the half.

Fennelly, who adheres to a strict two-fouls-and-you’re-out first-half policy, said he never even thought of re-inserting Francis or Welle, who played a combined 12 minutes before the break.

“I figured, the way the fouls were being called, if I put them back in, they’d get their third,” he said.

Welle picked up her third foul just 23 seconds after halftime but played the majority of the second half.

The Lady Lions’ four-point halftime lead swelled to 12 just four minutes into the second half, but the Cyclones chipped away consistently.

Led in large part by the inspired play of freshman guard Lindsey Wilson, who finished the game with 15 points, Iowa State made up a point each minute and found themselves tied, 59-59, with four minutes to play.

The teams traded baskets until the 14-second mark, when Darling’s second-chance jumper bought the Lions a trip to the Elite Eight.

Stacy Frese closed out her career with a four-point effort but managed six assists and four rebounds, with just a pair of turnovers.

Taylor finished the game with a double-double, scoring 10 and pulling down 11 rebounds.

After the game, emotions ran high as Iowa State bid farewell to Frese, Francis and fellow senior Monica Huelman.

“Mo and I have been through all of it,” Frese said, “and we like to think we’ve started something.”

“We just know it’s the last time we’ll be together,” a choked-up Welle said after the game.

Fennelly, though, may have best summarized the feelings of Cyclone players and fans alike.

“I want to say how proud I am of this team,” Fennelly said. “We’ve won championships, we’ve won respects and we’ve won the hearts and minds of a lot of people.

“We lost one game tonight, but we’ve won so much more.”