The ISU women’s basketball team has a number of things to play for on Saturday night when they take on the Baylor Bears at Hilton Coliseum.

The game will be the final regular-season home game for the Cyclones, and the final one in the career of Desiree Francis, Monica Huelman and Stacy Frese.

Also, with Kansas’ loss to Missouri Wednesday night, the Cyclones control their own destiny for the Big 12 title.

Baylor comes into town on Saturday struggling. The Bears are 7-17 overall, and have won only 2 of their 14 conference games.

However, the Bears are coming off a big win Wednesday night when they beat Colorado 91-90 in overtime.

The Bears are led in scoring by Danielle Crockrom, who averages 12.7 points per game. She also leads the squad in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game. Mandy Hayworth is second on the team with 11.7 points.

As a team, Baylor shoots only 36 percent from the field, and 30 percent from behind the arc.

They also average 20 turnovers per game, and get outrebounded by an average of five caroms per contest.

The Cyclones, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-58 win over Texas A&M, and have now won two games in a row in conference play by a combined 58 points.

The team also received good news Thursday when it was announced that point guard Frese and head coach Bill Fennelly were named finalists on the ballot for the Naismith Awards.

Fennelly was named one of the 15 top coaches in the land, while Frese was one of the 15 remaining players being considered for the Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year Award.

Other Big 12 players that are finalists include Edwina Brown of Texas and Lynn Pride of Kansas.

Another honor was bestowed on Frese when she was selected as one of six members of the 2000 GTE CoSIDA District VII Women’s Basketball Academic All-America First Team.

The senior in marketing and management and a minor in German has a 3.49 grade point average.

The Cyclones will finish with a road contest at Texas, a game that could conceivably be for the conference title.

While Iowa State is generally known for their ability to shoot the three-pointer, lately they have been relying on their post players to provide scoring punch.

In the game against the Aggies Wednesday night, center Angie Welle and forward Francis combined for 50 points in Iowa State’s win.

Welle leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game, while Frese is next at 14.3.

Welle has stepped up her game in conference play, as she is averaging 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Francis has been explosive on the offensive side, averaging 14.4 points in only 24 minutes of play during the conference season.

Megan Taylor rounds out the Cyclones in double figures.

The junior forward from Minnesota averages 12.2 points per game, along with 7.2 rebounds, which is good for second on the team.

Iowa State is searching for their first conference title in the history of the program, which began in 1973.

With 20 wins already, the Cyclones are five wins away from equalling the most wins in school history, established in each of the two previous years.