Coming off their first destination win of the season, the Cyclones will continue their week in Arizona on Saturday when they face the Arizona Wildcats.
Iowa State now has a 2-2 record in the Big 12 Conference, following a solid 90-83 victory over Arizona State that was fueled by improved perimeter shooting.
After having difficulties all season due to the irregular shooting behind the arc, the Cyclones made 55.6% of their shots, going 10-of-18 from the 3-point line, driving a lead throughout the game against the Sun Devils.
“When things aren’t going the way you want, you have a lot of choices but there’s probably two simple ones. You feel sorry for yourself or you work harder,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “That’s probably kind of simple, but that’s the way we have to view it, and hopefully that’s what we do and hopefully at some point, the results match up.”
Fennelly’s hopes became a reality as the Cyclones showcased exceptional 3-point shooting in the first half, establishing an early lead in the match.
Iowa State successfully made eight out of its 10 attempts from beyond the arc early on, led by back-to-back shots by sophomore guard Arianna Jackson, contributing to her overall four successful 3-point shots. Freshman guard Reagan Wilson and junior guard/forward Sydney Harris both made two 3-pointers as well.
“They just have to understand that every Wednesday and Saturday for the most part, you’re going to play a game, let’s show up and play that game, do the best we can that night and prepare leading up to it,” Fennelly said. “All the stuff on the periphery that when we walk into that building to play, I feel really good about what we’ve done, what they’ve done and now it’s just hopefully they get the results they deserve.”
“Ultimately we believe in each other, the coaching staff believes in us, we just have to go out there and execute it a little bit better than what we’ve been doing,” Harris said.
In contrast to the Cyclones’ win, Arizona took home an 81-76 loss against Baylor marking its second Big 12 Conference loss this season now holding a similar 2-2 conference record.
Despite the two teams battling it out during the 40 minutes of action, the battle was extended into overtime where Arizona’s defense weakened and allowed Baylor to go on a run and win by five.
Regardless of its lack of defensive structure as they received a minimal one offensive rebound and 29 defensive rebounds, the Wildcats were able to diminish a 17-point lead that the Bears held and delivered a buzzer-beater that forced overtime.
Leading the Wildcats’ shooting success is sophomore forward Breya Cunningham, who holds a team-high of 204 points and averages 12.8 points per game. She has found success solely in the paint, as she has made zero points this season from 3-point range.
Close behind is sophomore guard Jada Williams, who has scored 192 points this season and averages 12 points per game over a team-high 477 minutes played.
“We have an opportunity to get two wins on the road, build our confidence back up and get rolling like we know we can,” redshirt sophomore forward Alisa Williams said.
Iowa State and Arizona will face each other for the first time since 1988 at 3 p.m. Saturday in Tucson, Arizona. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
