Fennelly became the Big 12’s all-time winningest coach as ISU (17-5, 5-5) dominated the Red Raiders, 84-70, at a quiet United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. He passed current LSU coach Kim Mulkey with his 297th Big 12 win.
Jefferson’s trained his sharp eye on this eighth-ranked ISU team (18-2, 5-2 Big 12), which is off to its best start in school history entering Thursday’s 6 p.m. game (FS1) against Colorado (12-8, 2-5) at Hilton Coliseum.
The mere fact that a timeline existed for Jackson to return to the court became a lifeline for the ISU women, who were in the early stages of their first five-game losing streak in a decade. Head coach Bill Fennelly initially thought she could be back in a month. Jackson cut that early estimate in half — and the Cyclones are 2-0 since her return.
Five Arizona players fouled out in the Cyclones’ whistle-filled and utterly dominant 90-65 win that played about before 10,165 fans.
Momcilovic made 8 of 12 field goals, including 5 of 9 3-pointers, and all eight of his free throw attempts. The 6-foot-8 junior guard has averaged 27.7 points in his past three games.
The return of ISU’s best on-ball defender, Arianna Jackson, also served as a spark. She missed just two weeks after suffering a scary-looking knee injury in the eight-point loss at Cincinnati, and scored 11 points while securing a game-high eight rebounds.
The Cyclones will all need to be tone setters early in Stillwater, where the Cowboys have won four of the past five meetings. ISU won the first meeting this season, 83-71, two weeks ago in Ames and will face a talented, but struggling Oklahoma State team that’s lost three of its last four games in conference play.
The horn blared. Williams — who obliterated her previous career-high in scoring with an ultra-efficient 44 points — flexed and posed as if to say, ‘I refuse to lose tonight.’
No. 9 Iowa State’s sweetest and grittiest sequence of a splendid first half Tuesday against UCF featured just about everything — including a Killyan Toure slide and save rebound — and ended in a Jamarion Batemon 3-ball that drew a standing ovation from the sold-out Hilton Coliseum crowd.
Stern on-ball defender and ace 3-point shooter Arianna Jackson could be back to face the Bearcats. The operative word here is “could,” but amid a rare five-game skid — and the ongoing absence of ISU’s most versatile player, Addy Brown — the mere hint of good news is heartily welcomed.
No. 9 Cyclones (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) have been out of character while dropping two straight road games on the heels of the best start in program history.
No. 19 Iowa State women’s basketball team finds itself in as it continues to try to find ways to compete without starters Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson.
Momcilovic’s heroics at least gave ISU a chance to avert a second consecutive setback. He scored a career-high 34 points on 8-for-14 3-point shooting and 8-for-10 free throw shooting. His personal 7-0 run late in the first half pulled the Cyclones within four, at 35-31.
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