Iowa State starts run of in-state rivalries Tuesday with UNI

AMES - The state of Iowa is unique in that all four of its Division I women's basketball teams play each other every year.

Iowa State starts its run of in-state opponents in just its second game of the season. There are plenty of challenges of playing in-state games, but there is also a substantial benefit in using the games as measuring sticks.

'(Playing these in-state games) gets your attention a little bit more than some early season games,” coach Bill Fennelly said. 'Hopefully that's the case.

'You kind of cram them together and for us, it's usually all three in about a two to 2 1/2 week period. That's pretty much the way it's going to be this year too.”

The Cyclones (1-0) host Northern Iowa on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (Cyclones.tv) with history on its side. Iowa State has never lost to the Panthers (1-0) in Hilton Coliseum - 17-0 all-time - and has a 35-8 overall record in the series.

Northern Iowa was even in rebounding with IUPUI in its season-opening win, with both teams grabbing 30 apiece. Iowa State, which doesn't have a ton of size, has to put a daily focus into crashing the boards.

In its 77-60 season-opening win against UC-Santa Barbara, Iowa State won the rebounding margin 36-28, with forwards Seanna Johnson and Heather Bowe combining to grab 15. The emphasis, Johnson said, has to be on a group mentality of chasing missed shots.

'It's just not looking for somebody else to get the rebound,” Johnson said. 'That happened a lot for us last game. I think we're always just focused on somebody else getting the rebound because we'll be boxing out and thinking who is going to go get it for us.”

Iowa State will run the same starting five as it did in game one, with Johnson, Jadda Buckley, Bridget Carleton, Meredith Burkhall and TeeTee Starks getting the nod. Fennelly said Starks tweaked her knee in Friday's game, but she practiced Sunday and would likely be ready Tuesday.

'Now you've got (game reps) on video and (the players) have a game to look at,” Fennelly said. 'Every game for us is always different and it's a challenge of can the kids game plan for the next game. Hopefully we can get that done and do it in a way that we'll be ready to go (Tuesday) night.”

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