When Iowa State began its toughest road trip of the year, Bill Fennelly privately hoped they could win one of the two games.

After a dismal loss to Kansas, the Cyclones bounced back Wednesday night and accomplished their coach’s goal with a heart-stopping 77-76 win at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.

Tracy Gahan hit the first of two free throws after being fouled by Nicole Kubik with two seconds left to provide the winning margin.

She intentionally missed the second one and Nebraska, left without a time-out, threw the ball away to secure the win for Iowa State.

“I have never been more proud of a team in my life. They showed a lot of poise down the stretch and didn’t panic. This is a huge win for our team,” Fennelly said.

The Cyclones were led by Desiree Francis, who scored a game-high 19 points.

It was a balanced attack for Iowa State, with Stacy Frese adding 17 points, Megan Taylor pitching in with 13 before fouling out and Tracy Gahan scoring 12, including the game-winner.

“I thought it was really ironic that Tracy Gahan, the girl we are always on to shoot the ball, got the final look to give us the win tonight,” Fennelly said.

Nebraska, meanwhile, was paced by Megan Peterson and Kubik with 15 points apiece.

Also in double digits were Amanda Went, who came off the bench to score 12, and Casey Leonhardt, who had 11.

Down the stretch, the game had many twists. With 1:10 left, the Cyclones were up 75-73 and had the ball.

As the shot clock ran down, Lindsey Wilson threw up a three-pointer from the corner that failed to hit the rim, and Nebraska took over.

Peterson then hit a big three-pointer over Frese with 27 seconds left in the game.

The Cyclones took over, now trailing by a point, and it was Frese who started the offense and was tripped on her way to the hoop by Peterson.

She made the first one to tie the game but missed the second.

Then Francis came up big for the rebound.

When the Cyclones called time-out with 17 seconds left, it appeared they were setting up for the final shot.

However, Kubik fouled Angie Welle with 14 seconds left, and the sophomore missed the front end of the 1-1.

Just when it appeared that Nebraska would get the final shot, Kubik traveled with 3.7 seconds left.

After a Cyclone time-out, Francis inbounded to Gahan, who was fouled.

The first half was characterized by 23 fouls between the two teams.

ISU took a 38-37 lead at the break on a shot in the lane by Frese at the buzzer.

Gahan had 11 of her 12 points in the first half on 3-4 shooting, including a couple of three-pointers.

“This was such an incredible win for us. It was very important to get our confidence back, and now we can continue with the rest of the season,” Gahan said.

Fennelly also recognizes the importance of the game.

“We are now 7-1 in conference with four road wins. We’ve really got a chance now to make a run at this thing,” he said.

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Portions of this story courtesy of the Cyclone Radio Network.