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AMES — The Hilton Coliseum clock read 1:15 and the scoreboard told the story of a much-needed Senior Day blowout triumph.

Iowa State’s lone senior — all-time assists leader Emily Ryan — strode to the bench amid cacophonous cheers.

The Kansas native ended her Cyclone homecourt career by flirting with a triple-double one last time in an emphatic 85-63 win Sunday over No. 14 Kansas State before 10,728 fans at Hilton Coliseum.

Then Ryan — who scored 17 points, dished out 10 assists, and grabbed seven rebounds — did a dance with her teammates before watching and listening to her poignant pre-recorded senior speech as the tears finally flowed as a watery testament to her rock-solid Cyclone career.

“Honestly, just a ton of gratitude is what has been going through my mind ever since the last buzzer (went) off,” said Ryan, whose teammates surprised her by festooning the locker room with balloons and streamers to help serve as a send-off for her last game in Hilton. “Just how grateful I am to have played here and to play for these coaches, and to have teammates like I do. I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to do it here in Hilton one more time and have my family in the stands, it was a really special (day).”

But while Ryan appreciated the celebration of her ongoing ISU career, she fully focused on ensuring her team (21-10, 12-6) would extend its season beyond next week’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. The Cyclones entered Saturday on the NCAA Tournament bubble — a precarious perch they should no longer occupy.

“21-10, 12-6 in this league, no bad losses, a quality win today, I mean, that’s not my decision, but I think there should be no doubt now,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said.

Standout sophomore center Audi Crooks joined Ryan in notching a double-double with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kelsey Joens scored 10 points, and sophomore guard/forward Addy Brown totaled nine points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

The Cyclones held the Wildcats (25-6, 13-5) to 33.3 percent shooting, outrebounded them, 47-to-31, and outscored them, 50-29, in the second half.

“They’re a really good team and we were able to come out on top, and just kind of showed that we belong here,” Brown said.

So Saturday served as less of an ending and more of a beginning for Ryan and all of the Cyclones, who won’t play until Thursday in Kansas City.

“I’m squeezing every bit out of this last ride that I can,” Ryan said.