AMES – Coming off a big 82-59 win over BYU at home, the Cyclones look to replicate the performance against a struggling UCF squad at 4 p.m. Saturday from Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State is sitting at 14-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play after the dominant win over the Cougars and has now won four of its last five games, heating up when it may be most important. UCF is 7-10 but is 0-7 in conference play.
Despite not having the best record, the Cyclones cannot overlook the Knights when they travel to Ames. With a tough schedule following UCF, it would be helpful to win and continue building momentum.
“We want to make this a good streak of wins here to end the week,” sophomore center Audi Crooks said. “Just going to practice, doing the same sorts of preparation and hopefully approaching it with the same defensive intensity.”
Something evident since the start of conference play is relying on the scoring abilities and playmaking abilities that both Crooks and sophomore forward Addy Brown possess. Against Big 12 opponents, Crooks is averaging 23 points per game, and Brown is averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game.
Brown has five double-doubles on the season, and has been known to fill the stat sheet. In the most recent game against BYU, Brown did just that. She had 22 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. She fueled a big run that got the offense going after it was stagnant for about a quarter and a half.
“I’ve had a decent past three games I think,” Brown said. “I’ve just tried to be more aggressive since the Utah loss. Had a lot of talks with coaches and kind of had to do some reflecting to figure some things out. From that game, I feel like I’ve done a better job of just being aggressive and finding ways to score with my teammates.”
With classes starting this week for the Spring semester at Iowa State, the Cyclones are lucky enough to have two straight home conference games, the second and last time it happens for them.
“I think it’s the only time or one of the only times we have back-to-back home games in the conference,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “School started [Tuesday], so I think this is a really huge week for us in many ways.”
Someone to look out for at UCF is senior guard Kaitlin Peterson, who averages around 20 points per game. She has also scored 30 or more points in three games this season, including a season-high 39 against Texas Southern.
With a tough stretch following UCF, the Cyclones must shut down Peterson and earn a few off days before taking on No. 10 Kansas State.
“We just need to get through Saturday. We have to have two great days of practice and play Saturday,” Fennelly said. “Then we’ll take two days off, and then we have to reload this thing again.”
The Cyclones take on the Knights at home at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, hoping to build some confidence going into the hardest part of conference play. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
