AMES, Iowa (AP) – Once Angie Welle quit worrying about the
defense, she was just fine.
|  | | Iowa State's Angie Welle takes aim over Florida State's Brooke Wyckoff. |
Welle came back strong after a frustrating first half and scored
26 points as Iowa State beat Florida State 85-70 Sunday in the
Midwest Regional to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament
for the third straight year.
A 67 percent shooter, Welle was 4-for-10 in the first half as
Florida State did a good job challenging her shots. But she got
free for some layups in the second half, made seven of nine shots in the
period and finished with 13 rebounds.
"They played tough defense and they're great shot-blockers, so
maybe I was thinking about that too much," Welle said. "After
halftime, I tried to relax and not concentrate so much on how they
were playing me."
Megan Taylor made five 3-pointers and added 22 points in her
final home game for second-seeded Iowa State (27-5), which tied the
school record for victories and will play in the regional
semifinals at Denver next Saturday.
Seventh-seeded Florida State (19-12) had pulled off a major
upset earlier in the season when it won at Duke. But the Seminoles
could not work the same magic against Iowa State, which finished
62-2 at home in the careers of seniors Taylor and Erica Haugen.
"Getting there three years in a row, now you're talking about
Tennessee, Connecticut – I'm not putting us in that ballpark, don't
write that down. I'm just saying it's not easy," Iowa State coach
Bill Fennelly said.
"I think we've done it with class and dignity representing our
school and our fans. It's exciting."
The Seminoles made the Cyclones earn it. They cut a 13-point
second-half deficit to five before Welle scored eight points during
a 17-4 run that put it out of reach.
"The took advantage of our defensive mistakes," Florida
State's Brooke Wyckoff said. "They just kept running the ball and
hitting threes in transition, hitting threes off screens and
pounding it inside."
The starters scored all but one point for Iowa State. Tracy
Gahan had 14, Lindsey Wilson 13 and Haugen nine on three 3-point
baskets. Katelyn Vujas led Florida State with 15 points.
Iowa State concentrated its defense on Wyckoff and April
Traylor, mixing a triangle-and-two with its usual 2-3 zone.
Traylor, who scored 30 points in a first-round win over Tulane, was
scoreless the first 17 minutes and finished with 10. Wyckoff,
averaging 14.8, had eight.
"Brooke and April both have had off nights and we've had other
players step up in their stead. We really didn't have that one
player tonight," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. "They
played tremendous defense, not only on the two of them, but in the
interior as well."
Iowa State led 37-31 at halftime despite Welle's struggles. At
one point late in the half, she walked away muttering to herself
after missing a 3-footer.
But she beat the Seminoles down the floor for layups twice early
in the second half and that helped the Cyclones open it up.
"Coach Fennelly never told me to stop shooting, so I listened
to him," Welle said with a laugh.
Added Fennelly: "I told her, 'If you quit shooting, you're coming
out of the game.' "
Gahan's 3-pointer and Welle's layup gave Iowa State its biggest
lead to that point, 47-35, with 18:01 left. Another layup by Welle
in transition made it 49-37, and Taylor's 3 from the left corner
put the Cyclones up 54-41.
Florida State closed to 57-52 on Petra Hoffman's 3 with 10:58
left but made only one shot over the next 6:23 and Iowa State
pulled away.
Welle drove for a basket from the top of the key and sank two
free throws to finish a 7-0 run that made it 64-52. A basket inside
by Welle stretched the lead to 70-56 and her fastbreak layup put
the Cyclones ahead 74-56 with 4:54 left.
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
Florida State Clubhouse
Iowa State Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Angie Welle scores the easy layup off the break.
avi: 1048 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
After the scramble, Florida State's Brooke Wyckoff knocks down the 3-pointer.
avi: 554 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Megan Taylor knocks down one of her five 3-pointers.
avi: 1132 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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