The Cyclones found many improvements to get out of a two-game losing skid against Texas Tech on Saturday on the way to a 92-73 victory.

Iowa State was able to make various improvements to earn a big win Saturday afternoon, including rebounding and defensive improvements, which helped the team build a double-digit lead early on.

Physical rebounding 

In their last two games, the Cyclones have struggled on the glass and they were very aware of it. On Saturday, they were able to out-rebound the Red Raiders and grab a big amount of second-chance points on the offensive end.

The Cyclones finished with 44 rebounds, their largest total in the last three games. They also finished with 15 offensive rebounds that turned into 19 second-chance points.

Iowa State junior Ashley Joens mentioned after Saturday’s win the importance the team has been putting on rebounding and finding second-chance points recently. 

“We kind of touched on it in practice a little bit after the Baylor game and continuing forward,” Joens said. “You need to be aggressive on the boards and if you can get second-chance shots you’re more likely to get to the free-throw line as well.” 

Being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line has been part of Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly’s game plan and if they continue to work on these things they will be in good shape for the remaining few games of the season.

Defensive improvement 

The Cyclones have played well on the defensive end all season but in their last two losses it was the defensive end that cost them victories. The team quickly turned it around against the Red Raiders as they were able to hold the entire team to 10 points or under, except for Vivian Gray and Lexi Gordon, who combined for 49. 

Fennelly has always mentioned the scoring threat Texas Tech poses with Gray and Gordon and respects their game a lot. 

“They’re both great scorers, Vivian Gray and Lexi they can score it,” Fennelly said. “You make the decision to commit the whole team to them or you guard them as hard as you can and guard the other kids with some kind of scouting report.” 

While they were still able to put up big numbers, the rest of the team was kept quiet, which is credited to the defense of the Cyclones. 

Aside from the scoring of Gray and Gordon, the rest of the Red Raiders only combined for 24 points due to the interior defense of the Cyclones throughout the game and their ability to force tough shots on multiple possessions.

In addition, the Red Raiders were able to get some good looks from three but they weren’t going their way as they shot 5-17 from beyond the arc.

Ryan leads all-around scoring display

Iowa State displayed a complete offensive performance as the team was able to score efficiently from anywhere on the floor. The team finished with nearly 50 percent field goal percentage as they shot 33-68 from the floor.

The Cyclones also shot 35 percent from three and were able to score 50 points in the paint, which made them very difficult to stop on the offensive end.

Fennelly said the 50 points in the paint was very important for the team, especially because he’s mentioned trying to score more down low and initiate contact.

“We really wanted to space the floor and attack the basket and for us to get 50 points in the paint is huge for us,” Fennelly said. “They were doing a good job early of chasing us off the 3-point line so we really felt like we could find some driving lanes and find the matchup that we could attack.”

This game marks the Cyclones’ highest scoring game since their January meeting with Oklahoma State in which they put up 90 in their 90-80 win against the Cowgirls. 

The team had four players in double-digits as Emily Ryan lead the way with 21 followed by Joens with 20, Lexi Donarski with 17 and Kristin Scott with 12.

Ryan was crucial on the offensive end against the Red Raiders as she finished with a career high and found her rhythm early.

If the Cyclones continue to put up consistent scoring performances like they did against the Red Raiders, they would set themselves up very well for the remaining five games of the season.

The Cyclones will hope to build on this win as they prepare for their next game away from home against the Oklahoma Sooners. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday with streaming available on ESPN+ via Big 12 Now.