Bill Fennelly, Iowa State women’s basketball head coach, spoke candidly Thursday about how his 16-5 team has been playing this season.

Fennelly, who held a question-and-answer forum in the Maintenance Shop attended by more than 70 people, said he and the team are really appreciative of the fans’ support.

“I don’t get to thank all of you enough,” he said. “The fans and the loyalty of the fans is discussed every day in practice, and I appreciate the time you take to come out and see us play.”

After he thanked the fans, Fennelly moved on to his favorite topic: basketball.

“Obviously, right now our team is going through kind of a tough time,” he said in reference to the two recent losses against Nebraska and Kansas State.

He noted that Wednesday night against Kansas State was kind of an “odd game” for the team.

“We had the fewest turnovers we’ve had all season, and yet we couldn’t make any shots,” he said.

Even though the team has lost a few games, Fennelly said he tries to keep the focus on how the women’s team portrays ISU.

“We don’t talk about winning and losing; we talk about representing ourselves and all of you in a positive way,” he said.

As for how the team is holding up under the recent defeats, Fennelly said it was a tense journey home.

“I can tell you not one word was spoken on the flight for an hour and 15 minutes,” he said.

He said he hasn’t seen this team so despondent in a long time.

Fennelly praised his team, saying they are extremely hard working.

“Most of you see our girls around campus, and I can honestly tell you that they’re the kind of people I think you should be proud of,” he said.

David Orth, season ticket holder and assistant director of alumni events at the ISU Alumni Association, agreed that the team members are “great representatives of ISU both on and off the court.”

“Not only do they work hard on the court, but off the court they work hard in class and volunteer their time to various activities,” he said.