The ISU women’s basketball team will attempt to even their Big 12 conference record at 3-3 Wednesday night when they face the No. 3-ranked Kansas State Wildcats.

The two teams will be meeting for the second time in two weeks. Kansas State (18-1, 5-0 Big 12) won the first game on Jan. 15 in Manhattan, 68-60. They are coming off a 71-69 win over No. 11 Texas on Saturday, putting them alone atop the Big 12.

The Cyclones picked up their first road win on Saturday against Nebraska, 58-53.

ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said the win boosted his team’s confidence.

“It obviously makes them feel a little bit better about themselves. We’re struggling to get any win we can,” Fennelly said. “To finally get over the hump and prove that you can do it and come back the way we did.”

Kansas State boasts a high-scoring offense, outscoring their opponents by more than 21 points per game. They are led by sophomore forward Kendra Wecker and her 20.7 points per game. Trailing her is the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, junior post player Nicole Ohlde, averaging 18.2 points.

Fennelly said Kansas State’s balance is what makes them such a tough team.

“K-State creates so many matchup problems. I think offensively they can do a lot of good things,” Fennelly said. “Nicole Ohlde is great in the post. Kendra Wecker may be as good as any player in the country, let alone our league.”

While some may be surprised by how close the Cyclones played the Wildcats on the road, but Kansas State head coach Deb Patterson has a pretty good idea.

“They’re just Iowa State. They are incredibly well-coached. Athletically, they are a fairly close matchup in many respects,” Patterson said. “The speed at which we play, the tempo that we bring to the floor, the size that we bring to the floor by and large is similar.”

Patterson says Iowa State’s defense, as well as their shooting, is the main proponent to the success they’ve had this season.

“They really did a very effective job keeping us off-rhythm and off-balance. I felt we got a little tentative,” she said. “What Iowa State brings you, you generally don’t experience in this league, in terms of what they bring defensively.”

Fennelly wants to see his team improve on how they played two weeks ago and see if they can grab another victory.

“You hope that your kids feel that they can compete with Kansas State. We played them a pretty solid game at their place. We have our hands full and we know that,” Fennelly said. “We feel like we can go out and give them a game. We slowed them down a little bit, which was good, but at the same time we had some trouble missing shots ourselves.”

In order to win, Iowa State is going to have to find some offensive support for senior Lindsey Wilson. Wilson is averaging 17.1 points per game, but the second leading scorers, sophomores Anne O’Neil and Lisa Kriener are averaging just 9.4 points per game.

Fennelly said he and his staff address the issue in practice every day.

“I think it’s something that continues to be an issue at times,” Fennelly said.

“People talk about K-State and why are they so good. It’s because they put four and maybe five players on the court who are a threat to score. It’s a constant state of talking about it and encouraging kids to take shots and not panic. It’s an everyday thing for us and hopefully the light’s going to go on.”