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.

Kelsey Bolte added 16 points and seven rebounds and Amanda Nisleit had 14 points and 10 boards as Iowa State's veterans made sure the Cyclones wouldn't become 12th-seeded Ball State's second victim in three days.

Iowa State (26-8) will play No. 9 seed Michigan State in the Berkeley Regional semifinals on Saturday.

The Cardinals (26-9) became the feel-good story of the tournament's opening weekend after shocking two-time defending champion Tennessee in the first round.

Finding the magic for a second straight game proved to be too much. Porchia Green scored 18 points for Ball State, but the Cardinals wore down in the second half against the bigger, more experienced Cyclones.

The win filled a gaping hole in the careers of the Iowa State senior starters Wieben, Nisleit and Heather Ezell, who entered the game with 90 victories in four seasons but had never made it past the second round of the NCAAs.

They didn't waste a chance to celebrate, rushing onto the floor at E.A. Diddle Arena as the buzzer sounded to celebrate the program's first berth in the round of 16 since 2001.

The Cyclones came to the tournament thinking they'd have to get by mighty Tennessee to advance, but the Cardinals altered those plans when the Mid-American Conference champions handed the Lady Volunteers their first opening round loss in 28 NCAA appearances.

Ball State coach Kelly Packard worried her team would have trouble coming down to earth pulling off easily the biggest win in the program's 34-year history.

The Cardinals certainly looked ready to play, rallying from an early seven-point deficit and tying the game at 32 early in the second half.

Iowa State, however, withstood the surge and responded behind the steady play and sharp shooting of its seniors.

The Cyclones tied an NCAA tournament record with 16 3-pointers in an opening round win over East Tennessee State. They only managed 10 against the Cardinals, but it was enough to stave off a handful of late Ball State surges.

Ball State climbed with 43-39 with 9:43 left when Ezell knocked down a 3-pointer to push the lead back to seven.

Bolte, who hit 5-of-7 3-pointers, followed a few minutes later with a bomb that extended the lead to 51:43 with 6:43 left.

Nisleit dropped in a 3 from the top of the key to give the Cyclones their first double-digit lead at 56-45 and Wieben provided the dagger with another 3-pointer that extended the advantage to 64-50 with 2:01 to go.

Wieben nearly tackled Bolte in celebration while getting back on defense, silencing the hundreds of Ball State fans who made the five-hour drive to southern Kentucky to see if the Cardinals could advance again during their first trip to the NCAAs.