With Iowa State not having a game until Dec. 20 against Northern Iowa, the team is going to focus on getting healthy in preparing for Big 12 play. Iowa State opens the Big 12 season Jan. 4 on the road against Oklahoma.

Over Winter Break, Iowa State (5-2) will play Northern Iowa, New Hampshire, Baylor, Oklahoma and either New Jersey Institute of Technology or Buffalo in the Cyclone Challenge.

Junior center Anna Prins has been battling a knee injury and junior forward Chelsea Poppens suffered a knee injury against Iowa. Poppens is expected to play, but the Cyclones aren’t as healthy as they’d like to be.

“As one of the leaders, I told my team that we wouldn’t have won the Iowa game if we didn’t play as a complete team,” said senior shooting guard Lauren Mansfield. “That is going to be the focus for awhile now.”

Junior forward Jessica Schroll has been a key player for the Cyclones in the post this season. She and sophomore forward Hallie Christofferson have handled the load of the post and wing duties.

Schroll said she feels that the time off will allow the players on the team some time to focus on making themselves better.

“We won’t have as much time to work on our team game once Big 12 play starts,” Schroll said. “It will be more about scouting reports and how to prepare for the next game. Right now and over break, we’ll have more time to make our team better and our skill sets better.”

Here’s a look at what the Cyclones will be facing:

Northern Iowa, Dec. 20 — The Panthers are 6-2, dropping games to Wisconsin-Green Bay and Iowa. Four of the starters average double-digit points per game.

Katelin Oney leads the attack and 13 points per game. Amber Kirschbaum is another player to keep an eye on. She is averaging 10 points and nine rebounds per contest.

“That will be a big game for us,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “It’s the last game before break and we have a chance to get the in-state sweep.”

New Hampshire, Dec. 29 — The Wildcats are 3-4 and are led by senior forward Denise Beliveau, who is averaging close to 12 points per game. She is also New Hampshire’s leading rebounder at eight rebounds per contest.

At Oklahoma, Jan. 4 — The Sooners started 5-0, but have lost their past three games. They are currently ranked No. 24 in the nation.

The OU attack is lead by Aaryn Ellenburg and Morgan Hook. They are averaging 21 and 13 points per game. Joanna McFarland and Whitney Hand are the leading board crashers for the Sooners. They average 10 and seven rebounds per game.

Baylor, Jan. 7 — Baylor is the No. 1 team in the nation and features the most dynamic player in the country in center Brittney Griner. The Bears are 7-0 and haven’t scored less than 76 total points in a game so far this season.

Griner is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds per game. She has plenty of talent around her as well. Sophomore guard Odyssey Sims is averaging 18 points and 10 assists per game. Destiny Williams and Brooklyn Pope average 10 points per contest.