That hope must meet a new reality if the Cyclones are to beat the Cowboys, who rank seventh nationally in scoring average at 87.9 points per game, and 13th in rebounding margin at plus-10.5 per game. ISU, meanwhile, has struggled to score in its recent losses, while being outrebounded in each of those games.
ISU has trailed at the under-16 timeout in the first half in three of its four Big 12 games. Its trailed at the under-12 break in each of those games.
The recurring theme: ISU (14-4, 2-4 Big 12) simply has no margin for error against anyone now that key starters Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson are out indefinitely with injuries.
The Cyclones clearly struggled in that regard, and their top three scorers, Jefferson, Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic, went a combined 11-for-38 (29 percent) from the field.
Addy Brown leads the No. 19 Cyclones in rebounding. She ranks second in both scoring and assists. And now she’s out indefinitely with what is being officially termed a lower body injury, so she’s shifting into assistant coach mode as ISU (14-3, 2-3) seeks to beat Colorado (11-6, 2-3) at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Boulder.
That’s an individual choice Toure makes for the No. 2 Cyclones (16-0, 3-0), who have notched exactly one win at Phog Allen since 2005.
The Cyclones — who will be without Brown and Jackson for a while — simply couldn’t handle West Virginia’s always-tough pressure as they tumbled to their third straight loss, 83-70, Sunday before a crowd of 10,009 at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cowboys (13-3, 1-2) led by as many as nine points in the first half and went on several mini runs in the second half to keep ISU from running away with the game. But rebounding proved to be Oklahoma State’s bane, as the Cyclones grabbed 36 boards to its 29, including a 9-to-3 edge on the offensive glass.
Nothing went right for the No. 11 Iowa State women in Wednesday’s disappointing 71-63 loss at struggling Cincinnati, and there’s nowhere for the Cyclones (14-2, 2-2) to go but up.
Tamin Lipsey has lost zero turnovers in five of his 12 games, and he’s had as many as two turnovers just twice.
ISU trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but Lipsey’s second basket of the game cut Baylor’s lead to one, at 23-22, with 2:38 left in the first half.
ISU (14-2, 2-2 Big 12) lost its second straight game and star guard/forward Addy Brown didn’t play because of a back injury. Starting guard Arianna Jackson appeared to sustain a major injury late in the loss to the Bearcats (6-10, 1-3), as well, which made that quote particularly apropos.
Baylor lost its Big 12 opener, 69-63, at TCU but ranks among the nation’s elite both in adjusted offensive efficiency (12th in KenPom), and offensive rebounding (fourth in KenPom).
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