Offensive ineptitude has ISU women's backs against the wall

AMES - The Iowa State women's basketball team is coming off its worst shooting performance in recent memory.

So who's next?

Just Texas, which boasts the nation's 15th-best field goal percentage defense of 33.5 percent.

“Shots are going to start falling,” said Cyclone forward Anna Prins, whose team (9-6, 0-4) travels to Austin for Wednesday's 8 p.m. Big 12 game. “We just have to stay positive.”

Saturday's 59-33 loss at home to defending national champion Texas A&M prompted ISU coach Bill Fennelly to pronounce his team's offense “pitiful.”

The Cyclones are 0-4 in Big 12 play for the first time in Fennelly's 17 seasons.

They're also on pace to post their worst 3-point shooting percentage (29.8) in that span.

“We have some kids who are having off years we didn't count on,” Fennelly said. “We've got to work through that a little bit and hopefully go out there and feel that we're playing with the effort that it takes to hopefully have some success.”

ISU's hopes against the Longhorns (11-5, 1-3) hinge on getting more offensive production - particularly from guard Lauren Mansfield and forward Hallie Christofferson.

Mansfield, an 8.8 points per game scorer last season, is averaging four points in Big 12 play.

Christofferson, who averaged 8.6 points in conference play last season, is averaging 3.5 points in the Big 12.

“I don't think there's any question those are the two that have really struggled,” Fennelly said. “I don't think anyone anticipated the falloff in production of those two and that's hurt our team. But that's part of it. They've got to keep working through it. But there's no question when you talk about offensive output, those two were part of the (equation) last year and have really not been able to get it going this year. When and if that happens, I think that does change our team.”

The Cyclones also must sharply reduce turnovers in order to go on a run and reach the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season.

Point guard Nikki Moody lost 10 turnovers against the Aggies - but also had four of her team's season-low eight assists.

“It's been pretty tough,” Moody said of an up-and-down freshman season. “But I think with the team and everything we can move past it and we can keep pushing.”

Texas makes that difficult, deploying multiple looks on defense devised to deceive and disrupt.

The Longhorns' lone conference win - 76-71 a week ago - came against Texas A&M on the road.

“It's going to be zone press, full court press, man to man, trap a ball screen, trap a pass,” Fennelly said. “They're going to do it with athleticism and scheme as much as it is just, ‘We're better than you.' That's a little bit unique for people in this league.”