AMES – Iowa State is looking to win its second straight game with a home matchup against Colorado at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Cyclones recently won by 20 on the road against Cincinnati, recovering after a two-game skid against ranked opponents. With the Cincinnati win, Iowa State improved to 16-9 overall, and Colorado is one spot ahead of the Cyclones in the Big 12 standings with a 16-6 record.
Sophomore guards Arianna Jackson and Kelsey Joens stepped up big in the scoring department against Cincinnati, the Cyclones’ second and third-highest scorers, scoring in double figures.
“AJ [Arianna Jackson], Kelsey [Joens], Aili Tanke, all of them. The thing I said after this game is it wasn’t just the points they scored, they seemed to come at a really good time,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “Whether you go up and down, nobody made a basket. Bang, we hit one, or they cut the lead a little bit.”
For a large part of the season, there has been a big discrepancy in scoring for Iowa State, with sophomore center Audi Crooks and sophomore forward Addy Brown carrying a lot of the weight. However, the scoring from Joens and Jackson showed glimpses of what the rest of the team could do.
“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of people. And you know, I think Addy Brown was really good. She didn’t make the shots, but she was really good,” Fennelly said. “Audi [Crooks] was solid. Emily [Ryan] got off to a phenomenal start.”
Colorado is a strong defensive team that likes to get physical and, in doing so, picks up a lot of fouls. With a few players banged up, including fifth-year senior guard Emily Ryan, and a large wrapped knee for Crooks, the physicality could play a factor.
“I think they’re 330 out of 364 teams in foul rate,” Fennelly said. “They’re going to get up into you. They’re going to attack you, make your life very uncomfortable.”
As for Iowa State’s defense, it doesn’t have one or two players it needs to key in on unlike against teams such as Kansas State or TCU. No player averages more than 15 points per game for the Buffaloes, and six average five or more.
“A lot of balance. A lot of different kids have scored for them,” Fennelly said. “They’ll invert their offense, post up their guards, and put on a little bit different style than we’ve seen.”
Another big storyline is Nyamer Diew returning to Ames for the first time since she transferred to Colorado. Diew started 19 games a year ago for the Cyclones and has been a big contributor to Colorado this season.
“[Diew] had a really good game against BYU, it was probably the difference in the game,” Fennelly said. “She has the ability to score, she has some length, so defensively, she kind of fits what they do.”
Iowa State will take on the Buffaloes at 4 p.m. following the men’s game against TCU on Saturday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
