The Spartans nearly walked out of Haas Pavilion into the Elite Eight after junior forward Aisha Jefferson spun through the lane and hit a shot to give MSU a seven-point lead with 1:27 to play.

That was when Iowa State employed its brand of pressure defense, something Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly said his team only uses “once in a decade.”

“We don’t practice that a lot,” Fennelly said. “We pressed and fouled three times in a row to eat up some time to give ourselves a chance. When you have kids like we have who are competitive, you find ways to win a game.”

The Spartans struggled with the press, turning the ball over after an Iowa State layup to Cyclones senior guard Heather Ezell, who banked in a three to bring her team to within two points, 68-66, with 50 seconds to play.

Iowa State got another break when the Cyclones tipped away a cross-court pass and watched as it grazed of a Spartans player’s hand to give Iowa State a shot at the lead.

The Cyclones got two looks inside the paint before junior center Allyssa DeHaan blocked a shot into the hands of Ezell, who passed the ball out to Lacey and watched her knock down the game-winning shot.

“I didn’t know what was going on, it was a whirlwind,” Lacey said. “Coach said to get a quick two, and I got the board. I was thinking, ‘Should I shoot this shot?’ and I was like, “Oh, just do it. We’ll see what happens,’ I just let it fly. I don’t think I’ve been that excited or relieved in some time.”

MSU had the last 22 seconds to formulate a play to win the game, or get to the line and send the game into overtime, but saw the first shot fall just short, when redshirt freshman Lykendra Johnson forced a held ball. The possession arrow favored MSU, giving the Spartans one last shot at extending their season with seven seconds remaining.

“We felt like we had to take it off the bounce because we thought we might have the opportunity to get to the foul line,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “Aisha really felt like we could take it to the basket and we did.”

Jefferson pulled up in the lane and took a shot that rimmed out only to see Lykendra Johnson again come down with the rebound, putting the shot back up through loads of contact, only to see the ball bounce away as the buzzer sounded.

“I think we had a couple of good looks at it and we hit the boards hard,” DeHaan said. “We just didn’t get the call in our favor, but that happens sometimes. The game shouldn’t be decided on that last play. There were many things that we could’ve done throughout that whole stretch.”

The Spartans started the game off hot, with Lykendra Johnson hitting a three and junior center Allyssa DeHaan following with two buckets to put the Spartans in the lead 7-0.

MSU eventually built a nine-point lead before Iowa State began to find its stroke from behind the arc. The Cyclones got themselves back into the game through the hot shooting of Ezell and Lacey, who not only found their deep range, but got to the line on drives to the basket, sending Iowa State into the half up 38-36. Lacey finished with a game-high 29 points and Ezell scored 14 points.

DeHaan led the team with a season-high 24 points in the loss, also pulling in eight rebounds and five blocks.

“We felt like we could get the ball inside and attack,” Merchant said. “I really felt like she had a different look in her eye and did a great job of scoring the basketball tonight.”

The Spartans finished the season with a 22-11 record and made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006.

“I think we proved that we belong here and I’m very proud of our team and our kids, I don’t think there’s anything to fell down or upset about,” Merchant said.

Originally posted 1:11 a.m.