The women’s basketball series between Iowa State and Drake has worn on for 46 games – and even though Drake leads 25-21, the games remain unpredictable.

The Cyclones (5-1) will make the half-hour trek south to Des Moines on Sunday to take on the Drake Bulldogs (5-3) at the Knapp Center.

The Cyclones have won the last three battles, but a look at the 2003-04 season shows how hard the Bulldogs can bite. Drake won that season’s game, 61-36. However, the Cyclones won the next season’s game, 69-40.

Similar situations can be seen throughout the all-time series results of these two programs. For instance, in the teams’ first-ever meeting on Jan. 15, 1975, the Cyclones dominated with a 66-point victory, 95-29.

Six years after that game, the Bulldogs were able to bite back with a 65-point victory, beating the Cyclones, 122-57, on Feb. 23, 1981.

This year’s matchup should see the teams close to parity, but coach Bill Fennelly and his players are fully aware of Drake’s potential.

“These games are always hard,” Fennelly said. “We’ve had some really bad experiences at Drake – really bad.”

The Cyclones face their greatest threat in Drake’s two best players, Jill Martin and Lindsay Whorton. The two combine for 35.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game – nearly half the team’s points and a third of its rebounds.

“It’s obvious that our success will start with containing Jill Martin and Lindsay Whorton,” Fennelly said.

Sophomore guard Denae Stuckey said the Cyclones aren’t taking any special measures to combat Drake’s duo – they just plan to play good team defense.

“We just need to play as a team, play hard and help out in any way we can,” Stuckey said. “We have no particular special way to guard them – we’re just going to play hard as a team.”

Although the Bulldogs have a slight height advantage, the two teams match up well on paper. Junior guard Heather Ezell said the teams’ skills also match up well.

“The great thing is they don’t have a lot of size, especially compared to the Iowa game where we gave up a lot of size,” Ezell said. “Really, player-wise, we match up pretty well – you know, they have their shooters, they have their drivers and they’ve got a couple inside players, so I think we’re pretty even.”

The Bulldogs are 4-1 at the Knapp Center this season, and Fennelly knows how treacherous an environment the small arena can be. On the bright side, however, he said it will prepare the team for its Big 12 schedule.

“Drake will defend great and it will be a hostile environment,” Fennelly said. “Our next game will be at Minnesota – both venues will be very tough to play at, and both could simulate what we will see in the Big 12.”

The game starts at 2:05 p.m. Sunday at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.