DALLAS – New month, new season.

That’s the attitude the ISU women’s basketball team has heading into Tuesday’s Big 12 opening round match against Texas.

The Cyclones (16-11, 7-9 Big 12) need that attitude after losing by 30 points during the teams’ first meeting this season.

“We’re 1-0 in March,” said junior guard Lyndsey Medders. “It’s a brand new season.”

Junior Megan Ronhovde agreed.

“It’s the time where you really have to kick it in gear and be ready to go,” she said.

“What happened at Texas is irrelevant to what we’re going into, as far as our game plan is on Tuesday.”

That mindset is probably a good thing.

The last time out, the Longhorns (13-14, 7-9) used a stifling man-to-man defense to score 37 points off 30 Cyclone turnovers.

Ronhovde said she expects to see much of the same defense from the Longhorns on Tuesday.

“They want us to be a little bit rattled,” she said.

The Cyclones frustration will be the key to the Longhorns’ success, Medders said.

“They score more points in transition than they do in the half-court,” Medders said. “Our turnovers will create their offense, so we have to limit that.”

Medders didn’t get a good look at Texas when the teams met earlier this season after she left the game with back spasms. Combined with nagging foot and ankle injuries, ISU coach Bill Fennelly said much of Iowa State’s tournament hopes rest on the star’s health.

“The challenge for our team right now is ‘How healthy is Lyndsey?'” Fennelly said. “She’s got to play through it if she can, and the other kids have to play better.”

What does Medders plan to do to help the Cyclones avoid another large defeat?

“I’m going to try and help us get into our offense quicker, and not let careless turnovers dictate their offense,” she said.

If the Cyclones do top the Longhorns, the Oklahoma Sooners – still undefeated in Big 12 play – will be waiting for them.

Still, Medders said Iowa State won’t be guilty of looking ahead to a possible bout with the regular season Big 12 champions.

“All the time, when teams get their seeds, they look at ‘Who do I have next?'” Medders said. “We have to win the first game to even start thinking about Oklahoma. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re looking past us, but we’re not doing the same to them.”

Fennelly said Texas is too talented to overlook, especially given how the team played the Cyclones the first time around.

“We know we have to play a great team,” he said. “I think we’re a different team [than when we played them], and I think they’re a different team.”

“I want to see that we can play at a championship level whether it’s one game or four games. I want to see what kids are still motivated to play right now.”

Tip-off is scheduled for noon at Reunion Arena in Dallas.