Iowa State looks to continue the momentum it built following its first Big 12 win of the season when the Cyclones defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
The Cyclones will look to do just that as they host Kansas in their first Big 12 home game of the season on Wednesday.
Forward Addy Brown was one of the big factors in the road win with her 20-point performance versus Oklahoma State to start Iowa State’s Big 12 Conference play. She believes this win only helps the teams’ confidence level going forward.
“I think it does a lot. It was different in a road-win environment, but I think we did really well as a team just sticking together especially in the fourth quarter,” Brown said. “Confidence-wise, we now know that we could win anywhere, especially on the road.”
Guard Arianna Jackson found her groove with a career-best of 14 points, going 5-for-7 from the field, and 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc after not being known as one of the main scorers for the Cyclones this season.
Jackson believes having the time to help gel together as a team can help bring further success down the line as conference play continues to unfold for the young Cyclones team.
“I like to think of our team as a big puzzle,” Jackson said. “Each of us has our own kind of part in things, so having these games together really helps us come along and find our roles that can help us win games.”
Head coach Bill Fennelly expects Kansas to come in and play desperate following a loss to No. 25 West Virginia at home, as he prepares to get his team ready to open up their home season against the Jayhawks.
“I told our kids that Kansas will be as desperate of a team as we’ve played all year,” Fennelly said. “Their record doesn’t indicate the way they’ve played, plus they play the toughest schedule in our league and it isn’t close.”
Despite Kansas having a 7-4 record going into its game against No. 25 West Virginia, its efforts were not enough to take down the Mountaineers in its 25-point loss at home.
Fennelly also stressed to his team the importance of having these wins and losses in the Big 12, as each game brings a new challenge that could throw them off track if they are not properly prepared.
“I think the biggest thing it does is it continues to show our players that this is how we have to play and prepare,” Fennelly said. “The idea now is when the losses come, and they will come and may come in bunches is to understand that while also embracing the times when we do win and learn how to build off of that.”
Another important thing to note between these two teams is that the overall series is tied up at 46 a piece. Iowa State previously held a 16-game winning streak over Kansas before the Jayhawks broke that streak last season.
The Cyclones will look to start a new winning streak against the Jayhawks while also remaining undefeated in conference play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
