In its first of two meetings within two weeks, Iowa State (12-10, 3-8 Big 12) will go on the road to take on No. 22 West Virginia (16-6, 4-6 Big 12).

Averaging more than nine steals a game, the Mountaineers are an aggressive team defensively, which could create some problems for the Cyclones. Another area Iowa State could see trouble is at the center position.

For what seems like the entirety of the conference season, Iowa State will yet again play a team with a tall and talented center. The West Virginia starting center, Lanay Montgomery, stands 6-foot-5 and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage, blocked shots, and is second in rebounding.

Coach Bill Fennelly talked about the challenges the Mountaineers present and how the Cyclones plan to overcome them.

“They will switch a lot on the perimeter so it’s hard to run your offense,” Fennelly said. “[Montgomery] in the post is a great shot blocker.

“They’re scoring the ball better. Their numbers are up offensively, but they’ve always made you grind it out to score. That’s always been a struggle for us with them… They’re in the top-25 for a reason, they’re going to be a tournament team.”

In their last game, the Cyclones were able to play even with a big and long No. 2 Baylor throughout much of the first half.

Although Iowa State would go on to lose 83-52 against Baylor, senior forward Heather Bowe, explained why playing Baylor right before West Virginia will benefit the team.

“I definitely think having Baylor before West Virginia is going to help us,” Bowe said. “They run similar sets like the screens from the top, we had that practice against Baylor. I think that will be beneficial for us heading into [Saturday].”

One feat the Cyclones have yet to accomplish this year is their first road win. Iowa State has played six away conference games so far this season and the closest they have come to a victory is a five point loss at TCU.

Sophomore guard Bridget Carleton is optimistic that this game will be the first after the teams solid performance against Baylor in the first half. Carleton leads the team in scoring during conference play, she talked about the confidence of the team heading into the game.

“We know we can beat anyone in this league. We especially want to get a road win and this is a good opportunity for us,” Carleton said. “Any team can play great or poorly on a given night and that can be the difference in a game. We’re just going to take it, focus on us, and hopefully get this win.”