The Iowa State Cyclones (10-6, 2-3 Big 12) squeaked out a 64 to 63 victory over Oklahoma State (11-6, 2-3 Big 12) on Sunday afternoon.

It was a big conference win for the Cyclones, considering that Oklahoma State was in a similar conference position.

The Iowa State way

Coach Bill Fennelly has instituted a foundation of getting his team to play the “Iowa State way.” The idea around it is to get his players to do things the right way. This means not worrying about things out of their control, and on Sunday afternoon, the Cyclones couldn’t have showed that mentality any better.

Down 43-31 in the third quarter, Iowa State could have folded. But they clawed back and were able to take a 48-47 lead heading into the fourth.

In a game with only four lead changes, Iowa State showed the ability to battle under adversity while being down.

Offensive inconsistency

While the team was able to erase the large deficit, the offense had its share of dry spells. To begin the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State held Iowa State to zero points and was able to take a 55-48 lead with five minutes remaining in the game.

In the first half, Iowa State shot just 29 percent from the field. That subpar shooting percentage was a main reason why the Cyclones trailed by nine at halftime. This was after a first quarter where the Cyclones started with seven straight points and then allowed Oklahoma State seven straight points in return.

Basketball is a game of runs, but the Cyclones seem to be on the wrong end of many of them this season.

Scoring options outside of Joens

In relation to the offensive inconsistency is looking at the scoring options outside of Ashley Joens.

Joens has been a dominant force this season for Iowa State, as she leads the Cyclones and the Big 12 in points per game (21.9 points per game).

She was held to an uncharacteristic 17 points on Sunday. In the fourth, Joens scored only one point. Oklahoma State made it a focal point of their defense to limit Joens.

Kristin Scott scored 17 points as well and went four of five from the three-point line. Ines Nezerwa also scored 11. Iowa State sometimes struggles to have the ability to score outside of Joens, especially when the other team focuses on it.