Sloppy play leads to slow start for ISU women

AMES -- Iowa State point guard Nikki Moody boils down her major need area into four words.

“Take care of the ball,” she said.

Moody skillfully sparks several big plays per game, but the true freshman's inexperience shows in errant passes and hurried mistakes.

The Cyclones (9-5, 0-3) enter Saturday's big 7 p.m. Big 12 game against No. 10 and defending national champion Texas A&M (10-4, 1-2) at Hilton Coliseum ranked fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, but ninth in turnover margin.

“In this league, you can't have turnovers,” ISU forward Anna Prins said.

Moody's not the only one having trouble with ball security.

She's tied for the team high in turnovers with leading scorer and rebounder Chelsea Poppens (41 apiece) and lost six in Wednesday's dispiriting double-overtime loss at Kansas.

“It was upsetting,” Moody said, “because we wanted to win.”

The Cyclones stand 0-3 in the league for the first time in Coach Bill Fennelly's 16-plus seasons.

A grueling schedule explains some of that - after Saturday, ISU will have played four Big 12 teams ranked or receiving votes in the top 25, including No. 1 Baylor.

But uneven play also marks the slow start.

The Cyclones gave up a season-high 23 turnovers at Kansas and saw a 13-point second-half lead vanish.

“We didn't have the heart and we didn't have the will to get in there and get that extra rebound or go for that extra ball,” said ISU freshman guard/forward Brynn WIlliamson, who's made a team-best 27 3-pointers. “It's just a big thing of hustle. We're going to have to play like we did against Baylor (a 57-45 loss and the Lady Bears' third-closest game of the season), play like every team is No. 1 in the country.”

The schedule doesn't get much easier for the Cyclones, who hope to rebound and put themselves in position for a sixth straight NCAA Tournament bid.

ISU travels to Texas Wednesday before playing host to tenth-ranked and unbeaten Texas Tech next Sunday

“It can be tiring looking at the big picture,” said Prins, who's averaging 15.7 points per game in conference play. “I try not to do that. Every team is very good in this conference.”