AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team experienced a tough week, battling through two closely contested games before falling to a pair of ranked teams within a three-day span.
The Cyclones (15-9 overall, 6-5 Big 12 Conference) will try to bounce back from the difficult losses when they play at Cincinnati (13-7, 5-5 Big 12) at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
“I think it’s just more looking forward,” said Iowa State guard Arianna Jackson. “There is a lot on the line and I think it’s just going forward and accepting that challenge.”
Iowa State still has plenty to play for. The Cyclones missed out on two big chances to improve their NCAA Tournament resume last week, with losses at No. 11 Kansas State and at home to No. 9 TCU.
But there are other opportunities still ahead. Iowa State has two winnable games this week, taking on Cincinnati on Wednesday and then hosting Colorado on Saturday.
Both teams sit in the middle of the pack in the Big 12. Both are games that Iowa State can surely add to their win total as the Cyclones try to avoid unexpected losses.
“I think any game you win in this league is a statement win,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.
Here are three things to follow in Wednesday’s game.
More: Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones running out of time to tally marquee win
This may sound like a broken record but…Iowa State needs more help
Iowa State played basically a two-person game Sunday against No. 9 TCU. Addy Brown and Audi Crooks combined to score 60 of Iowa State’s 69 points in the loss. The two also scored all of the team’s second-half points.
That’s become a theme as the Cyclones have relied heavily on Crooks and Brown, along with star point guard Emily Ryan, for the bulk of the scoring this season. Others have stepped up in the past, including Jackson, Reagan Wilson, Kelsey Joens and Sydney Harris. But finding consistent production outside of Brown and Crooks has been a problem for the Cyclones.
“Obviously we’ve got to get some more balance offensively and I think that falls on the defense too,” Fennelly said.
Rebounding will be important for Iowa State
Offensive rebounding has been one of the biggest keys to Cincinnati’s success this season. The Bearcats rank second among the 16 teams in the Big 12 in the category, averaging 13.9 per game. It’s been an issue for the Cyclones at times this season. It was a major area of emphasis in the loss to TCU, when the Horned Frogs tallied 11 second chance points.
The rebound battle could go a long way in determining who wins Wednesday’s game.
“We shouldn’t be a team that gets outrebounded, especially on the offensive end with how gritty and tough we are,” Jackson said.
Slowing down Jillian Hayes will be a tough task
Cincinnati is incredibly aggressive off the bounce. One of their biggest threats is fifth-year forward Jillian Hayes. The 6-foot-1 star is by far and away the team’s biggest offensive threat.
Hayes ranks 11th in the league in scoring (16.5 points per game), second in rebounding (9.6) and 18th in field goal percentage (.419). Hayes, along with freshman Chloe Mann, accounted for 41 of the Bearcats’ 59 points in a loss to Baylor over the weekend. But Hayes has paced things for Cincinnati all year, scoring in double figures 16 times this season.
“I think (she) is one of the better players in our league,” Fennelly said. “She’s got a really high motor and goes after the ball hard. When you look at stats, she gets eight, nine offensive rebounds in a game and shoots 15, 20 free throws in a game. That doesn’t happen if you’re not playing hard.”
Iowa State women’s basketball vs. Cincinnati prediction
The Cyclones, for the most part this season, have done a good job of beating the opponents that they should beat. Even though it’s a road game, Wednesday’s showdown with Cincinnati certainly falls into that category.
While Iowa State didn’t tally a win last week, it showed it can play with anyone by nearly knocking off Kansas State before taking TCU to the wire. Brown and Crooks could do even more damage against Cincinnati.
Prediction: Iowa State 78, Cincinnati 64
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball vs. Cincinnati: Preview and prediction
