OMAHA – Every now and then, from somewhere high on the floor of the CHI Health Center, a single piece of confetti would move freely and float toward the court.
It was almost as if the building itself couldn't handle the anxiety, stress and pressure of the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State, however, had no problems in the crucible.
The second-seeded Cyclones shrugged off a miserable offensive start with poise and their menacing defense to defeat No. 7 Washington State, 67-56, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
Iowa State (29-7) will head to Boston for the East Region semifinals to face either No. 3 Illinois or No. 11 Duquesne at TD Garden on Thursday.
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Another win would put the Cyclones in their first Elite 8 since 2000 and one win away from their first Final Four since 1944.
Tamin Lipsey, playing with a sore shoulder from not shooting, scored 15 points and added five rebounds and four assists for the Cyclones. Curtis Jones scored 14 points, while Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic added 10.
The Cyclones shot 40 percent from the floor and were 7 of 14 from 3-point range.
Washington State (24-10) shot 43 percent from the floor and 23 percent from deep. The Cougars turned it over 13 times, leading to 21 Cyclone points.
Iowa State trailed by as many as eight points in the first half and was in danger of falling far behind early.
After a bright offensive start Thursday against South Dakota State in which the Cyclones made their first nine shots, Iowa State went in exactly the opposite direction against the Cougars by missing their first 10 shots from the floor.
Still, the Cyclones defense was able to prevent Washington State from breaking away, and the two teams went into halftime tied at 27.
However, in the second half, Iowa State took immediate control and the Cyclones scored the first six points of the half to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Now Iowa State heads to the regional semifinals as the top seed for the first time since 2014.
The Cyclones will head to New England, where overall No. 1 seed UConn may be lurking, on an absolute roll. They have won five straight games, all by double figures, including a 28-point rout of top-ranked Houston in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at Thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. FFollow him on X at @TravisHines21.