Days after a physical battle with one of the toughest defenses Iowa State will face all year, the Cyclones will shift their focus to one of the best offenses in the country.
If anything, Iowa State’s opponent for Saturday in No. 15 Oklahoma (6:00 p.m. ESPN+) knows how to produce on the scoreboard.
“Oklahoma is certainly one of the more dynamic offensive teams in the country,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “Jennie (Baranczyk) has done a great job there.”
The Sooners are second in the country in scoring offense, averaging 85.3 points per game.
Iowa State held Oklahoma to 71 points in the teams’ first matchup in January, one the Cyclones won on the road.
“I think the biggest thing is I thought we defended okay (in that game),” Fennelly said. “They’re so hard to guard and we’re going from the most intense defensive pressure to the most intense offensive pressure we’ve seen all year. We didn’t shoot it well in the first game, but if you hold them to 71 – you’re doing okay.”
The team will look to mirror that defensive performance on Saturday and try to limit Oklahoma’s Madi Williams, who had 26 points in the January matchup.
That will be big coming off of the third conference loss of the season.
“(Williams) is a hard cover because she can score the ball and they run a lot of really good stuff to isolate her,” Fennelly said. “Our help defense and rotation has got to be better. We’ve at least got to make it tough for her.”
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Cyclones will take their 10-3 mark up against the field, sitting in a tie with Baylor atop the Big 12 conference.
Three of those five games came against above-.500 teams in the conference that all project to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March.
“We’re really looking forward to getting back on the court,” Fennelly said. “Obviously, the last game wasn’t our best, but there’s still a lot to play for. We’re excited to play another great team in Oklahoma.”
The doubleheader day at Hilton Coliseum will be suspected to draw some extra fans into the building in what was already a big game on the schedule.
It will also mark the celebration for senior Ashley Joens‘ program scoring record, which she broke during Wednesday’s loss to Texas.
“(Angie Welle and Bridget Carleton) are two really good players,” Joens said. “I got the opportunity to play with Bridget and that was a lot of fun. Just to know that those two and a lot of former Cyclones are watching is a big honor.”
Saturday will kick off with the men’s basketball game against the Sooners tipping at 1:00 p.m. and the women getting it rolling at 6:00.
Big 12 Standings
| Position | Team | Ovr. | Conf. | GB |
| 1 | Iowa State | 21-4 | 10-3 | – |
| 1 | Baylor | 20-5 | 10-3 | – |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 20-5 | 9-4 | 1.0 |
| 4 | Kansas | 18-5 | 9-4 | 1.0 |
| 5 | Texas | 18-6 | 8-5 | 2.0 |
| 6 | Kansas State | 17-8 | 7-6 | 3.0 |
| 7 | West Virginia | 11-12 | 4-9 | 6.0 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 10-14 | 3-10 | 7.0 |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | 8-14 | 3-10 | 7.0 |
| 10 | TCU | 6-16 | 2-11 | 8.0 |
