The ISU women’s basketball team has a lot of work to do before finals week, as they play five games in the next eleven days.

The Cyclones kick off the mini-season tonight against the Creighton Bluejays.

Welle explained that preparation for the opponents becomes the biggest problem when so many games are played in such a short time.

“Games are more fun than practice,” ISU center Angie Welle said. “I think we’ll be all right if people can get breaks. And we’ll probably take it a little easier in practice.”

After tonight’s game, the Cyclones will play at Cedar Rapids Saturday and Drake Dec. 6. In addition, the women will host the Pella Corporation Classic playing Texas-Pan American Dec. 7 and Liberty Dec. 9.

“We’re gonna prepare for a lot of games on one day, or one hour,” said head coach Bill Fennelly, “but that’s what you run into sometimes at the end of the year in tournament play anyway.”

Rest will be critical for Welle, and so far this season without her, the Cyclones have struggled.

Against Iowa, Welle rested only three minutes, and the Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run at one point with her on the bench.

Freshman Kate Bauman and senior Gintare Cipinyte will both have to play quality minutes to back Welle.

“This will be a time when we really learn a lot about them [Bauman and Cipinyte],” Fennelly said. “We’re gonna have to play more players.”

One player who has been contributing off the bench so far this season is Kelly Cizek, and she will have extra motivation to play tonight, as her sister Sara will be on the floor with the Bluejays.

Both players have similar stats, with Kelly averaging four points and 2.5 rebounds, and Sara averaging 4.5 points per game and 3.5 rebounds.

“We play a lot alike,” Kelly said. “Even on [Sara’s] scouting report it’s like ‘clone of Kelly.”

Despite the slight edge in stats so far this year, Kelly says that when the two played each other at home, “usually I would probably win.”

“Every year, it’s something we both look forward to,” Kelly said. “My whole family is coming. It’s a fun time for us.”

Kelly explained that while the two are sisters, on the court, it is strictly business between the two.

“I remember one time we were at the scorer’s table together,” Kelly said, “and she [Sara] didn’t talk to me. I was like ‘why aren’t you talking to me?’ And she just wouldn’t look at me, and wouldn’t talk to me until after the game.”

“You got to play for your team when you’re out there, for your school, and you can’t really be thinking ‘where’s Sara, where’s Sara,” Kelly said.

One thing that Cizek and the rest of the Cyclones will have to stress is stopping turnovers.

“I think [we need to] value the ball a little more,” Welle said.

“We’re gonna turn the ball over because of the pace of the game. But the three-second calls and illegal screening, things like that [have to stop],” Fennelly said.

Creighton will be lead by guard Angela Timmons and forward Taya Allen. Timmons is averaging 19.5 points per game, while Allen has been good for 10.5 points and 7 rebounds a game.

The game will start at 7 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum.