Following a 74-59 defeat to the Texas Longhorns, the Iowa State Cyclones look to bounce back against Texas Tech having won seven of their last eight encounters with the Red Raiders.

The Cyclones had difficulty in the second half against the Longhorns after they changed up their offensive and defensive game plan following the halftime break. The game was back and forth with the Cyclones looking very lively on defense playing a 2-3 zone. 

Once the Longhorns were able to counter the Cyclone-zone and get stops on defense, the Cyclones could not get anything going on either end of the floor. 

Head Coach Bill Fennelly believes that the team needs to control the way they play first in order to make the right steps moving forward. 

“This year it’s going to be, more than ever, control what you can,” Fennelly said. “Fundamental defense, we got to do better job taking care of the ball, shot selection, all that stuff.”

The Cyclones loss to Texas as well as their game against Kansas being postponed is a bump in the road for the team, but this game against Texas Tech could help them get back on track after having their four game winning streak snapped. 

Despite having won seven of the last eight against Texas Tech, this year’s Lady Raiders team is much different than the teams in year’s past. Fennelly mentioned the scoring of Vivian Gray and Lexi Gordon being crucial to the Texas Tech offense and how players have to be ready to guard them come this Sunday.

“You look at all their numbers, all year they’ve been good no matter who they play,” Fennelly said. “They’re both capable of putting 30 on you and that’s the level of this league and certainly two kids who can really score.” 

Iowa State currently sits at 6-4 (2-1 Big 12) with a 2-3 record away from home. Their match up against Texas Tech will be important to the Cyclones as they hope to gain some momentum before heading into the final stretch of the season. 

The Cyclones will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday as they hope to bounce back from their loss against the Texas Longhorns. The game will be televised on ESPNU with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.