Following a wild week full of upsets for the Cyclones, Iowa State now finds itself ranked No. 24 following its wins over West Virginia and Baylor.
Now, the team will look ahead to keep its undefeated conference record alive with a trip to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech.
Iowa State has found success in its overall history versus the Lady Raiders with its 28-15 record. The Cyclones have taken the past six matchups and have won nine of the last 10 games they have played.
Head coach Bill Fennelly has coached every game Iowa State has played against Texas Tech, and he believes the matchups have been in his favor.
“I think the matchups have been pretty good for us. We’ve had some really good teams, so I think it’s been about the nature of the rosters,” Fennelly said.
The Cyclones hold better offensive and defensive statistics than the Lady Raiders this season, but Texas Tech still has some players that could give Iowa State trouble if they are not careful.
Guards Bailey Maupin and Jasmine Shavers each average over 14 points per game for the Lady Raiders and are both top-10 with their scoring averages in the Big 12.
Keeping them contained will be a key for Iowa State to keep its dominance over Texas Tech while also holding its undefeated conference record.
Even if Iowa State has held recent dominance over Texas Tech, winning in the Big 12 has never come easy for any team, and no game should be taken lightly.
“When you play in this league, you better show up,” Fennelly said. “We’re 5-0, but we could’ve easily lost all those games. Our job is to show consistency in our preparation and understand what to do to play well the next night.”
But even with this knowledge, Fennelly still credits his team for their hot start to their conference schedule, as they remain atop of the Big 12 looking to only go forward.
“I think a lot of credit goes to them,” Fennelly said. “They trust themselves and each other. There are a lot of things that are done when no one’s watching that when they are watching, hopefully, you can have some level of success.”
This trust has even helped center Audi Crooks win Big 12 Player of the Week for her monstrous performances, where she averaged 22.5 points against top-25 teams in West Virginia and Baylor.
Iowa State will look to continue its dominance over Texas Tech at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
