Dec. 10, 2003 is a night ISU women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly would like to forget.

Fennelly hasn’t forgotten a nightmarish game at intrastate rival Drake a season ago, though, and neither have the 11 Cyclone players who return from last year’s squad.

“It was one of those nights you don’t ever want to be a part of, and I think if you coach long enough and play long enough, you will,” Fennelly said. “We’ve done that to other people, and fortunately, it hasn’t been done to us a whole lot, but they did it to us good.”

With five seniors and a host of returning players, Fennelly said he thinks his squad has the maturity to overcome last season’s defeat.

“If I do have to talk about [last year’s loss], then they’re not the type of people I think they are,” Fennelly said. “So there won’t be a whole lot of talking about how we played last year or, I guess, how we didn’t play last year.”

Iowa State trailed 27-18 at halftime and went on a 16-4 run in the first six minutes of the second half, taking a 34-31 lead briefly. But Drake then sank nine straight baskets, closing the game with a 30-2 run and 61-36 victory.

“All of a sudden we missed lay-ups, we threw the ball away and every close call went their way,” Fennelly said. “Their players made some shots, played with enthusiasm and it just went crazy after that and we could not stop it at all.”

Both teams will enter this year’s contest with only one loss on their records. Drake (4-1) dropped a 73-54 decision against Marquette, and Iowa State (4-1) fell to instate rival Iowa 89-80 last Wednesday.

Three Bulldogs average double-digit points, led by sophomore Jill Martin, with 13.6 points per game. Freshman Lindsay Whorton adds 12.4 points and junior Linda Sayavongchanh chips in 11.4 points per game.

Sayavongchanh also leads the Bulldogs in assists (24) and steals (10).

“Sayavongchanh can control the ball at both ends of the court,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State is coming off an 88-65 win over Wisconsin on Sunday. Katie Robinette poured in a career-best 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Robinette averages 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, while fellow senior Anne O’Neil adds 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. Mary Fox is also averaging in double-digits for the Cyclones, scoring 10.6 points per game, shooting 48 percent from beyond the 3-point arch.

Drake and Iowa State have both tallied victories over Northern Colorado this season, with the Bulldogs edging the Bears 52-51, and Iowa State notching a 76-36 win.

“We’re very motivated, especially coming off a win against Wisconsin and having home court advantage,” Fox said. “This is our second instate rival after the loss to Iowa. We don’t want to lose any more.”

The past two years, the Bulldogs have had the Cyclones’ number. In their last meeting in Ames, Drake upended Iowa State 63-61, snapping the Cyclones’ 40-game non-conference home winning streak.