With a two-point lead and only 16 seconds to play on their home court, things were looking good for the Iowa State women’s basketball team.

TCU had made 1-of-10 3-pointers in the first 39-plus minutes and it seemed as if overtime would be the Cyclones’ worst-case scenario.

Then TCU’s Donielle Breaux came off a screen at the top of the key to find herself wide open. She drained the shot with five seconds remaining and handed the Cyclones their sixth loss in eight games.

“Obviously a tough way to lose a game,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “Our team is built around certain style and tonight we didn’t make enough shots and get to the free throw line enough.”

Luckily for the Cyclones, they won’t encounter a defense quite like the Horned Frogs’ the rest of the season. Playing almost strictly zone, TCU brings a different look for Big 12 teams and is one of the top defenses in the conference, leading the league in blocked shots.

Even ISU standout Hallie Christofferson struggled against the 6’3″ Latricia Lovings, who blocked three of Christofferson’s shots and out-rebounded her 14-to-5. Loving leads the league in blocked shots.

When Iowa State takes on Texas on Feb. 9, it will face a program heading in a different direction. The Longhorns have won three of their last four games with their only loss being to the conference leader, Baylor.

The Cyclones are trying to pick up the pieces to a season that included a 14-0 start before dropping six of their next eight games featuring emotional overtime wins and confusing losses. For Fennelly, figuring out how to get his team back on track is difficult.

“There are a lot of things that need to happen different,” Fennelly said. “Everything that happens here that’s not very good I take 100% responsibility for it. That’s my job. And by saying that though, I think that sometimes you’ve got to look within yourself and you’ve got to do what you’re supposed to do and I think our players need to make that decision.”

For Iowa State, the remaining schedule can serve as a rebuilding period. Although the competition does not get any easier, six of its seven remaining games are to teams the Cyclones have not yet seen this season.

The Longhorns are one of those teams as they pose a tough challenge for the Cyclones. Heading into Sunday’s matchup, Texas has a 15-7 (6-4 Big 12) record and is 5-0 at home.

With the conference’s top field-goal percentage defense, Iowa State will face a tough defensive test, again, facing a different scheme. The Cyclones and Longhorns are also the league’s best 3-point shooting teams, meaning it could be a shootout.

The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. at the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center in Austin, Texas.