AMES – After a devastating 75-69 loss against Iowa, concluding the in-state rivalry series, Iowa State heads back to Ames to face Eastern Illinois in hopes of continuing its winning streak at home.
Despite having three strong quarters in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Cyclones’ small detailed mistakes and last-minute offensive struggles led the Hawkeyes to come back for a six-point win. Regardless of the outcome, Iowa State took the experience as a learning lesson for upcoming games.
“The little details, taking care of the ball, getting back in transition,” sophomore guard Kelsey Joens said. “Just the little things, and improving on that stuff every single day so we don’t make the same mistakes.”
With a loss hanging over its head going back to Ames, Iowa State has made it a routine of bouncing back and having its best games right after the current loss.
“I think the biggest thing is that we take every day as its own separate entity, so whether we won the last game or lost the last game, that doesn’t affect how we prepare and how we approach the following game,” senior guard Emily Ryan said.
With junior guard Kenzie Hare officially medically redshirted the rest of the season due to an ongoing hip injury, compared to the restricted limits of Ryan, the team is in the process of building up a new starting lineup, a mix of rotations and dividing minutes.
“We have to reevaluate rotations and move people to different spots because [Hare] was probably our third-leading scorer, one of our two best perimeter defenders, she was in the 22 rising minutes,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “Obviously we did not do a very good job of it the other night, so we will continue to probably keep doing what we have been doing in the sense of giving everyone a lot of opportunities, mix and match, and hopefully something good will come of it.”
The transfer from Marquette played a crucial role in the Cyclones’ roster and is a significant player in Iowa State’s success. Fennelly indicates that losing Hare is a big loss for the team.
“She is one of those kids that competes every play which is not the case for everyone, she has a strong mentality, she has a toughness to her, she is a solid perimeter defender and she has a background where she played at a very high level,” Fennelly said.
With Hare unable to play for the remainder of the season, there is a chance for the rest of the team to step up and fill the gap. Fennelly has noted that among the available candidates due to a deep roster, the most important qualities will be consistent defensive effort and strong passing skills.
“The options are the people that are continuing with the opportunity to show what they can do, which means we need you to defend and to be the third or fourth scorer on a consistent basis,” Fennelly said. “If you take a look at the people who have gotten the opportunities; [Arianna Jackson], Lily [Hansford], [Sydney Harris], they are all in that mix.”
“Coach [Fennelly] has said many times that when you do lose someone it’s not going to be just a plug in another place it’s going to be a little bit from everyone, chipping in to kind of fill that void that will be there,” Ryan said. “It’s not going to be based on one of two people, the whole team needs to step up and try to take over, cover for where [Hare] provided for our team.
After a 73-60 victory against Indiana State, Eastern Illinois, now with a 3-5 overall record, heads back on the road for its sixth away game of the season, having lost all previous away games.
Leading the Panthers is senior forward Macy McGlone, with a team-high of 146 points, 13 blocks and 67 rebounds. Senior guard Kiyley Flowers holds a current high of 33 turnovers, 31 assists and 33 steals.
The Cyclones will face Eastern Illinois in hopes of strengthening their at-home streak at 5 p.m. Sunday from Hilton Coliseum. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
