Rebounding will be the key for the ISU women’s basketball team when it faces No. 18 Baylor at Hilton Coliseum Saturday.

Both teams live and die by rebounding the ball. Baylor (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) has failed to outrebound its opponents seven times and lost four of those games. Iowa State (10-11, 3-7 Big 12) has lost six of the eight games in which it has been outrebounded. ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said Baylor is a legitimate rebounding threat.

“[They are] probably as good a rebounding team as there is in the Big 12,” he said. “That’s what we will focus on initially is their ability to attack the basket.”

Baylor ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounds, averaging more than 40 per game. Fennelly said he was concerned about Baylor’s rebounding prowess after the Lady Bears pulled down 25 offensive rebounds Wednesday night against Missouri.

“You’re not going to win that many games giving up that kind of rebounding,” Fennelly said. “We have to have five people go to the defensive board. Not three. Not four. We have to have five people because [you can’t] give up 25 offensive rebounds to anybody, especially a team like [Baylor].”

The Lady Bears are also a strong offensive team. Baylor leads the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 77.7 points per game. It also excels at moving the ball around, leading the league in assists.

Baylor is led offensively by 6-foot-1 sophomore forward Sophia Young, who averages 16.3 points per game, and 5-10 senior guard Jessika Stratton, who leads the team in assists.

“We have to stop their transition [game],” Fennelly said. “[We] have to try and make them earn their points in the halfcourt.”

The Cyclones are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the most recent loss being a 72-67 setback at Colorado Wednesday, where the Cyclones kept it close during the entire game.

Trailing by as many as nine in the second half, Iowa State narrowed the gap to two points in the final minute. The Cyclones had three offensive chances in the last 30 seconds, but scored only once after turning the ball over and committing a foul.

Iowa State had 29 turnovers for the game.

Fennelly said he was encouraged by his team’s performance, despite the loss.

“We [had] the ball with a chance to win or tie it against the No. 10 team [in the nation] on the road,” Fennelly said. “We’ve proven that we can play with about anyone on our schedule.”

In order to do that, Fennelly said his team needs to take care of the ball and rebound well.

“They’re in the Top 20 for a reason,” Fennelly said. “We can’t afford that kind of [rebounding] performance to have a chance.”

Baylor will be the third ranked South Division opponent to travel to Hilton Coliseum this season. Game time is 8 p.m. Saturday.

— The Associated Press contributed to this article.