Cyclone women to face No. 19 Buffaloes

Paul Kix

On Jan. 27, the ISU women’s basketball team annihilated the Colorado Buffaloes 95-61 at Hilton Coliseum. Tonight, they meet again in Boulder. But ISU head coach Bill Fennelly expects a different game on a different court.”They’re scoring 10 more points at home than they are on the road. They’re averaging 88 points a game at home,” Fennelly said.And a once benign player for the 19th-ranked Buffaloes has emerged as a scorer.”Sabrina Scott, she’s really been playing well, I guess, for them,” center Angie Welle said.Scott, a sophomore forward who scored four points in 12 minutes in Ames, recorded her second straight double-double Saturday at Nebraska with a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Last week, Scott was named CU Athlete of the Week.”She really slashes to the basket,” Welle said.Guarding Scott and Colorado’s leading scorer, guard Mandy Nightingale (13.5 points per game) on the perimeter is a point of emphasis, Fennelly said.But the Cyclones cannot forget about the paint. Center Britt Hartshorn is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game and first on the team in rebounds at 6.5 rebounds per game.Hartshorn also has good court vision. Against Nebraska last weekend, she dished out seven assists.So, in practice on Monday, every time a pair of Cyclones failed to double-team the pseudo-Hartshorn scout-teamer, the team ran down to the opposite end and back.The reason is because Colorado runs a triangle offense much like the one the Chicago Bulls dynasty ran. Mixing things up defensively to disrupt an offense that is not based on set plays but rather on feel is important, Fennelly said.Especially when it is an offense like this one.”They have five people on the court that can score,” Fennelly said.Iowa State does too. Colorado found out when the Cyclones made 12-15 three-pointers during the last meeting. Welle also tied her career-high with 28 points.Fennelly knows that this type of performance probably won’t be duplicated. Nevertheless, the game plan remains the same.Senior Megan Taylor said the Cyclones will try to exploit Colorado’s help defense by finding the open woman.”We all might need to take our inhalers though,” she said.Taylor did not say if she needed it Monday in practice when the team ran even more if a turnover was committed.”With Colorado, when you turn the ball over, they’re really good in the open court,” Fennelly said. “We don’t want our offense to start their offense.”Colorado brings a 17-5 overall record and an 8-3 conference record into the game.Iowa State looks for its 21st victory of the year, and its 11th conference win.Iowa State’s only losses this season have been on the road. The Cyclones lost 81-63 at Duke and suffered their only Big 12 defeat, 79-74, at Baylor.

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