Every athletic team looks for a defining moment in its season.

The ISU women’s basketball team may have found it.

In a Feb. 4 65-64 loss to Kansas, Iowa State learned a lot about itself. Down by 19, the Cyclones (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) put together a 26-5 run, and even briefly took the lead. Despite losing, they left Lawrence with a little more confidence, and have since rolled off three straight wins.

Kansas (14-9, 3-9 Big 12), on the other hand, has lost three straight games, and sits at 10th in the Big 12. When entering Hilton Coliseum Saturday afternoon, it’s still looking for the first road win of the season.

“It has kickstarted us,” coach Bill Fennelly said of the Feb. 4 game. “It hasn’t given us anything perfect, but its shown we can compete.”

Iowa State’s most recent win over Texas Tech showcased its inside play, something that’s been somewhat inconsistent throughout the season. On the outside, freshman guard Heather Ezell, who averages 11 points per game, didn’t notch a single one Tuesday.

Still, that didn’t seem to bother her.

“They were scoring when we got the ball to them,” she said.

“It would be different if they weren’t putting those shots in, but they were finishing great, so we were able to get good looks inside and not have to worry about the outside as much, so it wasn’t really frustrating.”

In the post, sophomore Lisa Bildeaux recorded her first career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Senior center Brittany Wilkins added 24.

“We need to continue to be a threat,” Wilkins said. “We can’t just have one good game in the post, and that’s it.”

In all, the Cyclones post players scored 54 points.

“Hopefully it gives the perimeter players confidence to keep putting the ball in the post, and the post players confidence, knowing that they can score,” Fennelly said. “Everything we do in life, we talk about balance, and scoring is one of those things, too.”

ISU star Lyndsey Medders missed the Feb. 4 game, and Wilkins said having Medders back this time against Kansas, combined with getting a shot at the Jayhawks in Ames, will only motivate the Cyclones’ tournament chances.

“We started on a roll after Kansas, and now we have Medders back and at our home court, so we should be more motivated than ever,” she said. “If we want to play in a postseason tournament, we have to win.”

How much of a difference did the game make in the coaches’ eyes?

“I think the second half of that game probably changed, at least our mindset, over the last couple of games,” Fennelly said.

Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.