AMES – Iowa State looks to get a bounce-back win in its final road test of the season Tuesday against UCF.

Following a 67-52 loss to then-No. 19 Baylor, the Cyclones’ four-game winning streak came to an end just a couple of games before the postseason. Iowa State struggled offensively and could not undermine Baylor’s defense which ultimately led to its downfall.

Sophomore center Audi Crooks was the only player to put up points in double digits at 14, despite being contained the whole game. Following Crooks were four players, who put up eight points each.

With the recent success from behind the arc in their previous games, the Cyclones were stunned by their lack of shots as Iowa State made one out of its 14 opportunities. Making the lone shot was sophomore guard Kelsey Joens, who was 2-for-5 from the floor.

Alongside the lack of shooting abilities, Baylor thrived off the Cyclones’ 21 turnovers, driving the Bears to secure 26 points, complementing their strong defensive notions as they ended the night with 10 steals, seven blocks and 21 defensive rebounds.

In contrast to Iowa State’s recent defeat, UCF secured a 61-60 victory against Texas Tech promoting itself to a 10-16 overall record and 3-14 conference record. The win was brought by a successful free-throw shot that protected the Knights’ win against Texas Tech’s attempted buzzer-beater three that did not convert.

Putting up the winning shot from behind the charity stripe was sophomore center Khyala Ngodu, who ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds and one assist.

Leading the Knights to their comeback win was senior guard Kaitlin Peterson, who ended the night with a team-high of 20 points, four assists and two steals. It added to her season success of 456 points, averaging 20.7 points per game.

Following Peterson’s offensive nature is freshman guard/forward Emely Rodriguez, who holds 233 points, averaging 11.1 per game. Rodriguez adds to UCF’s average of 24.6 field goals per game, finding a 41% completion rate, alongside averaging 4.2 shots from behind the arc with a 30% success rate.

The Knights’ defensive patterns lead them to average eight steals and 2.8 blocks per game. UCF’s defense is led by Peterson, who holds a team-high of 47 steals. 

Following is Rodriguez, who has 29 steals, averaging 1.4 per game. Sophomore forward Achol Akot has a team-high of 16 blocks, and averages 1.1 steals per game.

Iowa State will join UCF for its senior night at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Orlando. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.