Mar 30, 2009; Berkeley, CA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Alison Lacey (4) saves the ball from going out of bounds against the Stanford Cardinal...

Big 12 basketball players of the week

...in Baylor's 86-58 win over Norfolk State. Dunn has shot 48.8 percent from the...in the first two games for the Cowgirls. Iowa State center Anna Prins was the freshman of...

...in the finals of the west region of the 2009 NCAA womens basketball tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE 3/30/2009 6:38:27 PM...

Appel's 46 points are the third-most scored in the NCAA tournament

Jayne Appel had a career-high 46 points and 16 rebounds in the third highest-scoring performance in NCAA tournament history, overwhelming Iowa State's helpless defense and carrying Stanford back to the Final Four with a 74-53 victory.

Appel's 46 leads Stanford into Final Four

Stanford's strategy in the Elite Eight was simple: Get the ball to Jayne Appel. Well, it worked. The Cardinal crushed Iowa State to reach the Final Four for the second consecutive year.

March 30, 2009; Berkeley, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Jayne Appel (2) shoots over Iowa State Cyclones forward Jocelyn Anderson (44) during the first half in the finals of the west region of...

Iowa St. gets second shot at Stanford

The last time Iowa State faced Stanford, the Cyclones admittedly embarrassed themselves. A 38-point loss will do that to a team. But they've got a chance to redeem themselves in Monday's Sweet 16 game.

All that matters now is one more win

The march to the Arch is nearly complete. The Final Four is about to take shape. And one more win is all that matters ... until we reach St. Louis.

Cyclones end Spartans' unlikely run with last-second 3

lison Lacey's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 23 seconds remaining capped a furious comeback, leading fourth-seeded Iowa State to a 69-68 victory over ninth-seeded Michigan State on Saturday night and a trip to the Berkeley Regional finals.

Treys (what else?) lift ISU to Elite Eight

Old reliable -- Iowa State's 3-point shooting -- helped carry the Cyclones past Michigan State and into the Elite Eight on Saturday. But a rarely used full-court press put the finishing touches on the win.

Appel answers call for Cardinal

Many thought Stanford would suffer from losing Candace Wiggins, but the Cardinal are looking more and more at home -- even on their rival's home court. That's where they beat Ohio State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

What are the keys to Sweet 16 victories?

What are the X factors in the regional semifinals? ESPN.com columnists Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel know which key factors could determine who moves on to the Elite Eight.

Wieben leads way as Iowa State reaches Sweet 16 for first time in 8 years

Nicky Wieben scored 18 points as the fourth-seeded Cyclones held off upset-minded Ball State 71-57 on Tuesday night to advance to the regional semifinals for the first time in eight years.

Lacey leads Iowa State's barrage of 3-pointers to cruise past East Tenn. St.

Alison Lacey made six of Iowa State's record-tying 16 3-pointers and the fourth-seeded Cyclones routed East Tennessee State 85-53 in the opening round of NCAA tournament on Sunday.

Morrow's 24 help Bears advance to meet Texas A&M

Jessica Morrow scored a season-high 24 points and hit six 3-pointers as seventh-ranked Baylor advanced to the Big 12 Conference tournament title game by beating No. 18 Iowa State 63-57 on Saturday afternoon.