Emotions will be running high when the ISU women’s basketball team closes out the regular season against Kansas Thursday at Hilton Coliseum.

ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said he believes Kansas (9-17, 2-13 Big 12) will be more than ready to play its first road game since Marian Washington announced her retirement after 31 years as the Jayhawks’ head coach Friday.

“They’re coming off a very good performance against Nebraska,” Fennelly said of Kansas’ 65-61 loss to the Cornhuskers Saturday.

“Their approach to the game and how they play against us may be a little different,” Fennelly said. “It looks like they are playing four guards a little more. After [our last meeting], their coach was talking about how they would change the way they would play us the next time, and that would be [with using] pressure defense. We’ve handled pressure defense pretty well most of the year, but it’s not something you see very often in this league.”

Iowa State (13-13, 6-9) won that game in Lawrence, Kan., 73-58. Freshman guard Megan Ronhovde scored 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including four 3-pointers, earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors Feb. 23.

“They like to press a lot,” Ronhovde said. “[During] that last five minutes of the game [in Lawrence], we really didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball.”

Washington stepped down as Kansas’ head coach Jan. 29, taking a medical leave of absence.

“It’s very important [for us to end on a high note],” Kansas interim head coach Lynette Woodard said during the Big 12 coaches’ teleconference Tuesday. “This team has experienced a lot of turbulence this year. It’s our job as a staff here to help [the players] through this tough time. I think once they hit the hardwood, they forget everything anyway, and it gets back to the game.”

The game will also be the last at Hilton Coliseum for guard Erica Junod, the lone senior for the Cyclones.

“I really haven’t looked at it much different than any other game,” Junod said. “We just need to get some momentum going into the [Big 12] Tournament. If we go down there and play the way we think we can play, we have a chance [at postseason play].”

Ronhovde said winning the game was important, not only for a shot at the postseason, but also to get a win for Junod.

“[Erica] has done an excellent job leading this team,” Ronhovde said. “Trying to go into a situation where she is the only senior [has been] a tough task, but I think she’s done a great job.

“She’s got great leadership skills, she knows how to help us out [and] she’s definitely been one of the first ones there to help pick us up,” she said.

Fennelly said Senior Night makes the game big, but it won’t cause his team to lose sight of the overall goal.

“If we win, we qualify for a postseason appearance of some kind,” Fennelly said. “Whether we get in or not, who knows?”

Fennelly said he is proud of his team’s work ethic and the improvement it has shown over the past three weeks.

“I think [the team’s improved play] shows they are still coming to practice every day,” Fennelly said. “That shows they are gaining a better knowledge of each other and what we’re trying to do. As a coach, you want your team to at least have a sense that they are playing better down the stretch. I think we’ve done that.”

Regardless of the outcome of Thursday’s game, Iowa State will face Missouri in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at noon Tuesday in Dallas.