Iowa State women's basketball team must continue on undefeated success at Hilton Coliseum
AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team has tallied 15 victories this season, including a resume-building victory over a top 25 team.
Most of that success has come at home.
Hilton Coliseum has brought out the best in the 12th-ranked Cyclones (15-5 overall, 7-3 in Big 12) who will need more success Saturday when they host Baylor (15-6 overall, 7-3 in Big 12) in a huge Big 12 Conference battle at 5 p.m.
“The league is extremely balanced, I think, and you’ve already seen some teams lose home games that impact the schedule,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. “So, if you lose a home game or two, it doesn’t change everything, but it certainly impacts a lot of things.”
Iowa State is one of the few teams in the league that hasn’t had a setback at home this season, currently sitting with a 10-0 mark in Ames. That success has kept Iowa State, the preseason favorite to win the Big 12, in the title hunt.
More:Iowa State women's basketball's Denae Fritz plays with an edge the Cyclones have rarely had
But the Cyclones must keep winning at home to stay within striking distance of first place Texas, who hold a one-game lead over ISU. Iowa State has eight games remaining in the regular season. Four of those are at home, including a Feb. 13 showdown with Texas. That’s why Fennelly, who has always preached the importance of home-court success, knows it’s a vital factor again this season.
“I think it’s probably as important, if not more (this year),” Fennelly said.
Iowa State has done its job, winning 12 straight games at home. The winning streak dates back to last season when the Cyclones beat UT Arlington and Georgia in the first two games of the NCAA tournament. The last loss for the Cyclones at Hilton?
An 87-62 setback on Feb. 28, 2022. The team? Baylor.
“They just pounded us and we had no chance, no answer for it,” Fennelly said.
So, why have the Cyclones had so much success at home lately? Ashley Joens says it's the fans who have helped them at key moments during games.
More:Why the road to a Big 12 men's basketball title goes through Hilton Coliseum
"When things are going well it kind of gives us more energy and we keep playing and if things aren't going well, they kind of keep us going and we keep playing and keep battling and they kind of bring us back into it," Joens said.
Iowa State can’t afford to slip up now. The Cyclones are in the mix for the league crown and are trying to lock up home-court advantage for the NCAA tournament. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme has the Cyclones as a four seed, which would be good enough to host, in his latest projections that came out Friday.
A loss at home Saturday could change that. With Iowa State’s recent success at Hilton, locking up home court advantage is a goal of Fennelly’s.
“It’s certainly in the realm of possibility,” he said. “So, let’s go play for it.”
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball team must continue on undefeated success at Hilton Coliseum
