Despite a slow start to open Big 12 conference play, Iowa State won six of its last seven regular season games to earn a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament.

After missing the NCAA Tournament the previous year, the Cyclones, led by senior Seanna Johnson, were determined to take a step back in the right direction.

Iowa State only lost two of its opening non-conference games, one to then-No. 6 Mississippi State and one to in-state rival Iowa. It seemed the Cyclones were poised to make a run as one of the top dogs in the Big 12.

When conference play finally came around it was a different story for Iowa State. The Cyclones started 1-6 in conference play. Missing the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year was a definite possibility.

At the midpoint of the season, coach Bill Fennelly put a lot of the blame on himself and how he was coaching the team.

“The obvious thing is this team has got to be coached better,” Fennelly said. “We’ve lost six games, and five of them, we were in the game with a chance to win the game. But again, no one cares. You’ve got to win the game.”

Whatever the Cyclones changed at this point in the season was the right decision, as the team went on to finish the season 7-2. Their late-season rally included a road win over then-No. 6 Texas and a five-game win streak to close out the season.

“When you start off 1-6 in the Big 12 it’s never a good thing,” sophomore guard Bridget Carleton said. “And we were so close in so many of those games and that doesn’t do anything but hurt your confidence.”

Despite the loss of confidence, the Cyclones’ drive was sparked again.

“Getting that win at West Virginia, that kind of re-lit the excitement and showed us what we can do and who we can be for the rest of the year,” Carleton said.

The surge earned the Cyclones a 5-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Although a first round exit from both tournaments wasn’t ideal for the Cyclones, the team surely took a step in the right direction.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Fennelly said. “I’ve had the honor to coach at Iowa State a long time … I don’t know that we’ve had a team that has been that engaged. Amazing, amazing perseverance by them.”

Three Cyclones earned all-conference honors at the end of the year. Carleton was a unanimous first team selection, while Jadda Buckley and Johnson were each tabbed as honorable mentions.

The departure of Johnson and the announcement that Buckley will forgo her final season at Iowa State means the team has lost two of its top three scoring options, its leading rebounder and its leading assister.

It will be interesting to see how the Cyclones plan to overcome those losses in the 2018 season.