Believe it or not, the halfway point in Big 12 Conference play is rapidly approaching. And to say the least, it’s been a roller coaster season for the Cyclones.

But it appears Bill Fennelly’s team is still climbing upward. On Jan. 25, Fennelly was able to lead his team to perhaps the biggest road win in his 20-year career at Iowa State.

Iowa State (14-4, 5-2 Big 12) traveled to Austin, Texas on Jan. 25 to compete against No. 8 Texas, the second matchup between the two teams this season. And once again, the Cyclones came out victorious by a single point, winning the game 58-57 and earning the season sweep against the Longhorns.

But after earning one of the biggest road wins in ISU history, just one thing came to Fennelly’s mind.

“I said we’ve got to land in Ames and move on quickly,” Fennelly said. “This is a big week for us. I mean, beating Texas is great, but you lose two games this week and it’s not such a big deal anymore.”

If you take the time to reminisce on the first half of conference play, the Cyclones have just about exceeded expectations.

Iowa State only has two losses in conference play, with one of those losses by a mere two points. The team sits in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings and is a perfect 3-0 at home.

The start, while impressive, could have gone several different ways, Fennelly said. But with a conference as strong as the Big 12, it’s important to come out on top in the winnable games.

“When you looked at the schedule at the beginning of the year, you never know exactly,” Fennelly said. “If you would have said at the beginning that you’re 5-2, I’d say, ‘sign me up.’”

Where has all this success come from? Well, Fennelly notes that it’s not necessarily coming from the outside, but how the team is dealing with it from within.

“I think the biggest thing is we haven’t beaten ourselves,” Fennelly said. “The formula for us has been the same for 20 years … when we’ve done that, we’ve had a chance to win.”

The Cyclones certainly did that Jan. 25, as well. Down early in the game, the team was able to fight its way back into the game, rapidly closing the gap tahtthe Longhorns were able to create.

When it was all said and done, though, Iowa State was able to find a way to come out on top. Senior guard Nikki Moody acknowledged the big win, but also noted how much this can help in the long run.

“It just shows that we can compete at the end of the day,” Moody said. “We were down at halftime both times and we just had the heart to compete both times.”

And for a team without a true superstar, it seems like Moody is finding a way to step into that role. Moody currently averages more than 12 points per game, one of the best on the team, and is shooting 40 percent from the line.

Even Fennelly can agree that Moody is becoming more of a leader on the team. He also noted that while she may not have superstar numbers, her play is close to it.

“I think she is, and she wants that,” Fennelly said. “She’s got the ball in her hands a lot, and I think because of the way people are starting to guard us, dribble penetration becomes more and more important. She doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, which is to her credit.”

The Cyclones will have a two game homestand this week, as they play Kansas on Jan. 28 and Oklahoma State on Jan. 31. With the team having three games in one week, it can be tough to stay focused on each game.

“It’s going to be a struggle in the sense that everybody is going to be tired,” Moody said. “But I think if we embrace it and keep pushing and helping each other, I think we’ll be fine.”