The ISU women’s basketball team’s rough patch continued against Oklahoma State as the Cyclones (15-9, 6-7 Big 12) dropped another game, this time at the hands of the Cowgirls (16-8, 6-7 Big 12) by a score of 60-48.

The team’s losing skid has now increased to five losses in the last six games. The main culprit throughout the team’s difficult stretch has been poor shooting performances.

After a loss to Texas Tech early in the week, ISU coach Bill Fennelly pointed to the team’s poor 3-point shooting and missed layups as the main reasons for the loss.

His team shot just 3-for-20 from deep and missed 11 layups by Fennelly’s count against Texas Tech.

For whatever reason, poor shooting once again plagued the Cyclones when they took on Oklahoma State.

The Cyclones shot 30 percent for the first half from the field and just 23.1 percent from the field for the second half. While the team improved its 3-point shooting slightly, players still only shot 6-for-25 from downtown.

Give credit where credit is due. The Oklahoma State defense, especially rim-protector Brittney Martin, was effective at stifling the Cyclones.

“[The stat sheet] says she blocked two shots. I think she blocked about eight,” Fennelly said of Martin.

While she may not have had overwhelming shot-blocking numbers, she was able to force the Cyclones to change multiple shots, possibly making Fennelly think her block numbers were higher.

While Martin and the rest of the Cowgirls deserve some credit for their defensive prowess, a large portion of the Cyclones’ struggles fall upon themselves.

The shooting woes that Iowa State has struggled with in past weeks has made it nearly impossible for the team to pull off victories in a league that is as even as the Big 12.

“Basketball is a game of baskets and when your starters shoot 26 percent, I don’t care who you are, you’re going to get beat,” Fennelly said.

Three of the Cyclones’ go-to scorers especially struggled against Oklahoma State. Nikki Moody scored 14 points and dished out seven assists for the Cyclones, but shot just 6-of-26 from the field, including 1-of-10 from 3-point land.

Seanna Johnson made just one shot on 12 attempts and Brynn Williamson shot 33.3 percent on 4-of-12 shooting for the game.

When key scorers combine to shoot just 11-of-50 from the field, winning becomes a daunting task.

The Cyclones’ next opportunity to pull themselves out of their shooting slump will be when they take on Oklahoma at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Hilton Coliseum.