Iowa State Cyclones’ guard Arianna Jackson (2) and Iowa State Cyclones’ center Audi Crooks (55) put high pressure on Kansas Jayhawks guard S’Mya Nichols (12) during the first-quarter in the Big-12 conference home opener on Dec. 21, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — The Iowa State women’s basketball team has spent roughly two weeks in limbo — down two key starters as a promising start to the season collided with a lengthy losing streak.
But a ray of hope has finally emerged for the now-unranked Cyclones (14-5, 2-5 Big 12), who seek to return to the win column Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against Cincinnati (7-12, 2-5) at Hilton Coliseum.
Stern on-ball defender and ace 3-point shooter Arianna Jackson could be back to face the Bearcats. The operative word here is “could,” but amid a rare five-game skid — and the ongoing absence of ISU’s most versatile player, Addy Brown — the mere hint of good news is heartily welcomed.
“I think it would add not just a really good player, but yeah, our team has not had a lot of good things happen to it in the last two weeks, whether it’s injuries and losing and illness and other stuff,” said Cyclone head coach Bill Fennelly, whose team lost Jackson to a knee injury on Jan. 7 in a 71-63 setback at Cincinnati. “It would be nice to see something positive.”
Jackson’s shooting a robust 47.5 percent from 3-point range this season, and even though she’s not a volume scorer (5.6 points per game), she’s a floor spacer and portrait of consistency. The junior from Des Moines has turned the ball over just three times in 420 minutes of game action this season — by far the lowest rate for any Cyclone player. So whenever she returns, she’ll have a calming influence on an ISU offense that’s been plagued by turnovers and poor shooting during its recent slide.
“(We’re) just searching for a spark, or a combination that seems to work a little bit better,” Fennelly said.
That search has also revealed more minutes for backup guard/forward Evangelia Paulk, who showcased her grit-based skills in Sunday’s blowout loss at Oklahoma State. The 6-0 junior transfer from Wofford could take on a larger role on Wednesday and beyond — especially as Brown remains out indefinitely with what’s termed a “lower body injury.”
“I’m just trying to fill a role I know our team needs,” said Paulk, who scored a season-high nine points against the Cowgirls.
That’s all any ISU player can do now, whether Jackson returns on Wednesday or not. Either way, the Cyclones will get a shot of redemption against the Bearcats on their hallowed home floor, and that’s something they’ll never take for granted.
“Right now, I think the identity of our team is — I don’t know what it is,” Fennelly said. “I don’t know that we will define it this year with what we have. I think what you hope is that they still compete in the way they should, play as hard as they should, and then figure out a way to change.”
