February has arrived, and with the mid-way point of the season lurking, bodies and minds of the Cyclone women’s basketball players are put to the test.

“All of our kids have done a lot of good things that put us in a position that we’re in but the hardest part is still ahead,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “And for a lot of them the calendar in their bodies is telling them the season is about over, and it’s far from over.”

With over a month until the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, the team still has a long road ahead. Freshmen may be used to a season ending after 20 games and three months of practice, and seniors are handling the impacts of four years as a Division I basketball player.

“I think some players [can feel it], physically their bodies, especially younger players who have not gone through the rigors of a college season,” Fennelly said. “There’s a lot of things that can cycle through in their minds as to why things aren’t going well.” 

Recently, signs of fatigue and flaws in mental decisions on the court were made in Iowa State’s loss to Kansas State on Sunday. A lack of aggressiveness in the post accounted for some Cyclone defensive mishaps, as the Wildcats slowed down many possessions, running the shot clock down to the final seconds and getting multiple opportunities from offensive rebounds.

“I think the biggest disappointment for us [Sunday] was defensively we were not as locked in on the scouting report, to the things that have allowed us to be successful,” Fennelly said. “The attention to detail that we discuss all the time was not there.” 

In Manhattan, Kansas State forward Ashley Sweat did exactly what Iowa State had expected. Despite the Cyclones preparation for her, Sweat went off for 31 points on the day, making it seem as though the Cyclones hadn’t prepared at all for the versatile senior. 

“We kind of had a breakdown, we have to follow the scouting report and I think we kind of didn’t have our attention to detail, what coach Fennelly always says, and I think we just [have] to get back to the basics,” said freshman guard Jessica Schroll. “Sometimes we have a lack of focus and we don’t necessarily follow that to the point and that’s what we have to do.” 

With their eighth game of the conference season on Wednesday against Texas Tech, the Cyclones are at the point of no return, with a record of 5-3, or 4-4 in conference on the line.

“There’s a lot of teams in this country right now that are playing in February because their school says they have to finish the schedule,” Fennelly said. “We’re 16-4 and there’s a lot of things to play for.”

After a Sunday game, and returning home later than usual, the Cylcones have a quick turnaround for Wednesday’s game. With just two days of practice, Fennelly plans to stick to more strategy and preparing, and less intense basketball for the entire practice length. 

“We don’t go hard the whole time like we did at the beginning of the season, so now it’s come to where we should know the plays, we should know the defenses, so it’s just perfecting it,” said senior guard Denae Stuckey.