Iowa State (19-5, 7-5 Big 12) is set to face BYU (16-8, 5-7 Big 12) as part of its two-game road trip. After taking a 79-72 victory over the Utes, the Cyclones look to pick up a victory to leave the Beehive state undefeated.
With the home court being both Utah and BYU’s playgrounds, Iowa State looks to use its five-game win streak to take down the Cougars in a commanding fashion.
“Utah and BYU are really good teams at home, specifically, so getting these wins after they’ve beaten a couple really good teams in our league, too, will definitely help us,” senior forward Sydney Harris said.
Coming into the matchup, BYU looks to rebound from its 77-52 road loss to Kansas State. In the matchup, redshirt junior guard Marya Hudgins tallied 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.
Hudgins and sophomore guard Delaney Gibb served as the team’s sole glimmer of hope in the conference clash. Gibb contributed 11 points and two assists in the contest.
Iowa State’s victory over Utah displayed four players scoring double digits. The commanding second half reinstated the Cyclones’ reign. Junior center Audi Crooks dropped 24 points in the first half after tallying one field goal in the first.
With five meetings between the Cyclones and Cougars, BYU looks to even the series, as Iowa State currently holds a three-game win streak.
The Cyclones look to come out victorious; the keys to that success lie in scouting the competition and staying grounded on the road.
“Knowing your personnel, that’s super important and then just staying focused because you know it’s a quick turnaround,” freshman guard Reese Beaty said.
Players Iowa State needs to contain are Gibb and senior forward Lara Rohkohl. Gibbs leads the team in scoring and assists by averaging 15.9 points and 4.5 assists per game. Rohkohl leads in rebounds and blocks with 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
The Cyclones’ well-rounded offense will be the Cougars’ biggest threat. Shutting down Crooks will not be enough to contain Iowa State, as the team has proven to have a team full of sharpshooters.
Containing the Cyclones looks like one of the Cougars’ biggest tasks yet. Iowa State looks to cruise by and prove how dangerous this team can be.
“There’s only three weeks left, you know the special people finish stuff and we gotta be able to finish stuff the right way,” Head Coach Bill Fennelly said.
The conference clash is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday in Provo, Utah.
All quotes are provided by CyclonesTV
