Iowa State Cyclones’ guard Emily Ryan (11) goes for a layup between Colorado Buffaloes’s forward Erin Powell (8) and forward Nyamer Diew (11)during the third quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — She’s sore, but shored up for a stretch run.
That’s the best possible news for Iowa State when it comes to the ankle sprain all-time assists leader Emily Ryan sustained in its blowout win over Colorado last Saturday.
The Cyclones (17-9, 8-5) also enjoyed a week off to help heal their ailments in advance of Saturday’s 4 p.m. matchup with Kansas (14-10, 4-9) in Lawrence.
“I think it was just a credit to our athletic training staff that they were able to get me going and get me to a spot where I was able to play,” said Ryan, who briefly went to the locker room before being cleared to return against the Buffaloes. “I was just glad I could play.”
Ryan’s still recovering, head coach Bill Fennelly said, but he expects her to be available against the struggling Jayhawks, who have lost five of their past seven games. She leads ISU in assists per game (6.4) and steals per game (1.9).
“She’s gonna play at 75 percent or whatever, but her at 75 percent is a good thing for our team in a lot of ways,” Fennelly said.
The Cyclones have lost two straight games against Kansas in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, but both went down to the wire. A win on Saturday would help nudge ISU off the NCAA Tournament bubble. ESPN women’s basketball analyst Charlie Creme currently legs the Cyclones as one of the “last four in” but that’s not something Fennelly or his players are paying much heed as the Big 12 regular season winds down.
“The message is we have a five-game season,” Fennelly said. “And there (are) a lot of teams in the country that have to play a game on Saturday because the schedule says so. We’re playing a game that matters, and we’re gonna play five games that matter. That’s kind of the mindset.”
ISU outscored the Jayhawks, 42-31, in the second half in a 78-64 win in early January. Audi Crooks scored 33 points and Ryan added a season-high 19 points in 7-for-8 shooting. Ryan, a Claflin, Kan., native, will also have a massive cheering section in her last game played in her home state.
“I did think about how it will be my last game in Kansas, which is something that’s kind of crazy to think about,” said Ryan, who’s now tied for second on the Cyclones’ all-time steals list with 215. “But ultimately that’s not my main focus. It’s just another nameless, faceless opponent like coach Fen says, and we’re trying to get one more win under our belt.”
Every one of those counts, of course, especially since ISU’s sitting on the bubble — for now, at least.
“(We’ve) done so much to get to this point,” Fennelly said. “Here, let’s finish it.”
