In the midst of a serious NCAA Tournament push, the Cyclone women’s basketball team is getting plenty of practice for pressure situations.

Four of the team’s last five games have been decided by five points or less. Postseason play is traditionally chock full of nail-biting endings, so any exposure to mayhem the Cyclones can get is a plus.

“I think there have definitely been a lot of benefits from the close games,” said junior forward Amanda Nisleit. “We’ve worked on a lot of situations, and we’ve learned from the losses what we need to do differently.”

Coach Bill Fennelly blames the team’s lack of offensive production for all the gut-wrenching endings, but said the team has grown more mature because of the games.

“We’re a team that’s going to be in a lot of close games because we can’t score,” Fennelly said. “I think we’ve performed decently. I think the thing we’re doing a better job of is, because we’ve been in that situation before, there’s a sense of understanding it – we’ve had success and disappointment.”

The Cyclones play the Kansas Jayhawks 1 p.m Saturday in their last home game of the season. Usually, the game would be reserved for senior day, but because the team expects Toccara Ross to be granted a medical redshirt and another year of eligibility after her ACL injury, there won’t be a celebration.

The last time the Cyclones and Jayhawks played was Feb. 2 in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas won, 53-50, in what was at the time considered an upset.

If the Cyclones plan on winning this time around, they will need to actually put the ball through the hoop.

“We didn’t get to the free-throw line, and we couldn’t get an open shot – and when we did we didn’t make them,” Fennelly said. “That’s how you end up with 50 points.”

Sophomore guard Alison Lacey claims the previous loss and the fact that it’s the last home game of the season make for a nice pair of motivators.

“I think we want every game just as much as any other,” Lacey said. “They did beat us our last game, and it’s our last game at home, so there’s a little more motivation.”

If the game does happen to come down to the wire like so many others have this season, it might be wise to have the ball in Lacey’s hands for the critical last shots.

She made what was essentially the game winner on Wednesday against Missouri.

She was 1-of-7 before the shot, and then when it mattered most, she stepped up and shattered a tie with two minutes remaining. The clutch play has Fennelly comparing Lacey to a former Cyclone men’s great and current Indiana Pacers point guard.

“She reminds me of Jamaal Tinsley when he played here,” Fennelly said.

“Jamaal’s three-point percentage was awful except when he had to make them, and he made a lot of them when he had to – and [Lacey] is kind of that way.”