Cyclones Tangle with Texas A&M on Saturday

Cyclones Tangle with Texas A&M on Saturday

02.25.2005 | Women's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

No. 21/20 Iowa State vs. Texas A&M
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005 ? 2 p.m. tip
Hilton Coliseum (14,092) ? Ames, Iowa

On the Air
Iowa State's game will be broadcast live on the Cyclone Radio Network and 1430 KASI in Ames ... SIRIUS satellite radio will carry the broadcast live on channel 141 ... every game is broadcast live and free of charge on the internet (www.cyclones.com).

Quickly
Iowa State returns home for the Cyclones' final two games of the regular season ... ISU is 13-0 in Hilton Coliseum this year ... only two Cyclone teams have gone undefeated at home (1998-99, 2000-01) ... Texas A&M is ISU's final Big 12 south division opponent ... Iowa State owns a 3-2 record against the south, while the Aggies are 2-3 against their north foes ... TAMU has a 2-6 mark on the road this season, including a 1-6 record in Big 12 road contests after winning at Oklahoma State Jan. 12 ... Texas A&M is 0-6 against ranked teams this year ... a 76-70 win at Missouri gave the Cyclones their sixth 20-win season during the Bill Fennelly era and the seventh in school history ... this is Fennelly's 12th 20-win season of his career ... Iowa State's 10 conference victories is the most since the 2000-01 team went 12-4 in the league ... ISU's 20 wins is the most since the 2001-02 finished the season 24-9 ... all five Cyclone starters are averaging double-digit scoring for the first time since 1995-96.

About the Cyclones (20-5, 10-4)
Iowa State snapped a string of three-straight road losses with a 76-70 win at Missouri Wednesday night ... Anne O'Neil scored 13 of her game-high 20 points in the final 4:07 of the game, including three consecutive 3-pointers in a two-minute span ... Katie Robinette and Lyndsey Medders had 13 points each, while Mary Fox added 12 ... Fox hit four treys, giving her 16 made in the last four games ... the Cyclones hit 11 treys and outrebounded MU 32-28, just the third time ISU has outrebounded a Big 12 opponent on the road this season.

About the Aggies (14-11, 4-10)
Texas A&M bounced back from a three-game losing streak with a 75-61 win over Oklahoma State Wednesday night in College Station ... TAMU's Charlette Castile had a team-high 15 points off the bench, sinking 3-of-5 treys ... Morenike Atunrase had 12 points and Patrice Reado added 10 for the Aggies ... TAMU shot 48.1 percent from the floor, but allowed the Cowgirls 45.8 percent accuracy ... the Aggies were edged on the boards 32-31 ... Texas A&M forced 19 OSU turnovers, getting 23 points from Cowgirl mistakes ... Atunrase is the only Aggie averaging double-digit scoring with 10.7 ppg ... Tamea Scales is the team's second-leading scorer (8.9 ppg) and top rebounder (6.4 rpg) ... in overall game stats, TAMU leads the league in turnover margin (+7.56), steals (11.36) and offensive rebounds (14.48), while A'Quonesia Franklin tops the individual assist/turnover ratio list (3.48) ... in Big 12 games only, the Aggies are tops in turnover margin (+5.64) and offensive rebounds (13.79).

The Cyclone - Aggie Series
Iowa State owns a 10-1 advantage in the series, including a 4-0 record in Ames ... the Aggies earned their only series win (88-71) over the Cyclones in 2002 in College Station ... the first game of the series (Dec. 2, 1989) was the only game played by the two teams prior to the formation of the Big 12 Conference ... ISU won the game 75-70 to place third at the Lady Ute Classic in Salt Lake City ... ISU head coach Bill Fennelly is 9-1 against the Aggies ... TAMU head coach Gary Blair is 0-1 against the Cyclones.

The Difference Between Winning and Losing
Iowa State averaged 81.5 points on 48.0 percent shooting in its 20 wins, including 41.3 percent 3-point accuracy ... in the Cyclones' five losses, ISU averaged 66.0 points on 39.5 percent shooting and 31.6 percent 3-point accuracy .... Iowa State pulls down 42.9 boards in wins and 31.8 rebounds in losses ... four Cyclones average double-figure scoring, while a fifth scores 9.9 ppg in wins ... three Cyclones average double digits in losses ... opponents have shot 48.4 percent in their five wins (40.2 from behind the arc), while ISU holds its foes to 34.6 percent accuracy in Cyclone victories (26.3 percent from 3-point range).

Tracking the Trends
Five Cyclones are averaging double-figure scoring for the first time since 1995-96 ... Iowa State has recorded a double-digit margin of victory in all but four wins ... nine Cyclone opponents have shot over 40 percent from the floor this season ... the Cyclones have shot under 40 percent four times this season, all in Big 12 games (Jan. 15 vs. MU, Jan. 25 at KSU, Feb. 8 at TTU, Feb. 12 at NU) ... Iowa State's top two shooting performances have come against league foes in Hilton Coliseum (Kansas State, 64.6 percent; Colorado, 57.4 percent) ... ISU has recorded fewer turnovers than its opponent in 12 games, including five league contests ... Bill Fennelly has used the same starters since Dec. 5 (notable due to the fact that he used 14 different lineups last season).

Spotlight Performances
Katie Robinette was the only Cyclone to record double-figure scoring at Kansas State, the only time ISU has had just one player score in double digits this season ... Lisa Kriener scored a season-high 14 points against Colorado after averaging 4.6 points in the previous five games ... Megan Ronhovde hit 6-of-6 3-pointers against Colorado, while Mary Fox drained 6-of-6 treys against Oklahoma State ... those were the best performances since Stacy Frese drained an NCAA-record 8-of-8 treys against Nebraska Jan. 28, 1999 ... Ronhovde sank 3-of-3 treys against Texas and hit her first two 3-point tries at Texas Tech for a streak of 11 consecutive 3-pointers made over three games ... Lyndsey Medders recorded a career-best 13 assists twice this season, ranking third on the ISU single-game performance list ... Anne O'Neil has just missed a triple-double twice this season ... O'Neil had 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds against Colorado and recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes against IPFW ... only one Cyclone has ever posted a triple-double (Jane Lobenstein vs. KU, Feb. 5, 1986, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), while two others have been close (Megan Taylor vs. Western Michigan, Dec. 20, 1999, 13 pts, 9 rebs, 10 asts; Tracy Eckert vs. Iowa, Dec. 15, 1979, 13 pts, 8 rebs, 12 asts).

Season Milestones
ISU managed its first season sweep of both Colorado and Missouri since 2002 ... Iowa State matched the best start in school history with a 15-1 overall mark and a 5-0 Big 12 slate ... ISU owned a 12-game win streak that ranked second nationally before losing at KSU Jan. 25 ... Kansas State had 60 rebounds (26 offensive) in its win over Iowa State Jan. 25, the most since Oregon set an ISU opponent record with 70 rebounds on Jan. 7, 1982 ... ISU held Kansas to its second lowest point total in school history with a 70-37 win Jan. 12 ... with their 78-59 win over Kansas State Jan. 5, the Cyclones scored the most points in regulation against the Wildcats since KSU defeated Georgia State (93-79) Dec. 29, 2001 ... Iowa State had a record-setting night against IPFW, breaking the school mark for assists (35) and setting new Hilton Coliseum records for scoring (113) and win margin (+68) ... head coach Bill Fennelly earned his 200th Cyclone victory with an 86-78 overtime win at UNLV Dec. 19 ... ISU, which hadn't won a road game after trailing at the half since 1999, has won two (at UNI, at UNLV) this season ... Iowa State's all-time women's basketball record finally rose above the .500 mark, the first time since 1979-80.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Senior transfers Katie Robinette (2001 Miss Nebraska Basketball) and Anne O'Neil (2000 Miss Iowa Basketball) have never played in an NCAA Tournament ... seniors Lisa Kriener, Tracy Paustian and Mary Fox advanced to the NCAA second round, recording a 24-9 record their freshman season, while Brittany Wilkins and O'Neil were sidelined as redshirts ... this group of Cyclones recorded its first win against Texas and its first victory in Boulder.

Put It In The Books
Mary Fox's 150 career 3-pointers rank sixth in the school record books, while her 399 attempts rank sixth all-time ... Megan Ronhovde ranks ninth with 121 career 3-pointers and ninth with 328 3-point attempts ... Anne O'Neil become the 16th Cyclone to break the 1,000-point plateau Feb. 2 against Colorado and ranks 12th with 1,106 points ... O'Neil is ISU's career record holder in free throw percentage, ranks sixth in career free throws made (295) and 10th in attempts (357) ... Katie Robinette is sixth with 63 career blocks, while Brittany Wilkins is tied at eighth with 57 ... Lyndsey Medders is fifth on the single-season assists list with 154 ... Robinette's 35 blocks this year rank fifth all-time.

Where They Rank
In the Big 12 Conference's overall statistics, Iowa State ranks first in scoring offense (78.4); field goal percentage (46.3) and 3-pointers made (9.20) ... individually, Anne O'Neil ranks first in 3-point percentage (51.5) ... in Big 12 games only, ISU is tops in scoring (73.4); 3-point percentage (39.9) and 3-pointers made (9.43) ... individually, Anne O'Neil is tops in free-throw percentage (87.1) and 3-point percentage (49.1).

Change is Good
Senior guard Anne O'Neil made adjustments to her 3-point shot over the summer, adopting a quicker release and more conventional form ... she is shooting better from behind the arc than from the floor overall ... she has drained 51-of-99 from outside for 51.5 percent accuracy this season ... O'Neil hit 33.5 percent in her previous three seasons with her - uh, well - let's just call it "unorthodox" 3-point shooting form.

Trey Bien
Four Cyclones (Fox, Medders, O'Neil, Ronhovde) combine to shoot 83.7 percent of ISU's 3-point tries, while only three players on the roster have not attempted one this season ... the Cyclones have made 10 or more treys in 13 games this season, with a season-high 15 vs. Colorado Feb. 2 ... the school record is 18 vs. Missouri on Feb. 19, 2000 ... Iowa State has made at least one 3-pointer in 299 consecutive games since 1995, ranking fourth nationally behind Cleveland State, Drake and Miami (Ohio).

30 Seconds of Defense
Iowa State has showcased an aggressive defense this year ... Bill Fennelly, a master of the zone defense, has added a player-to-player scheme to his arsenal ... the Cyclones have bought into the system, forcing 18 shot-clock violations this season ... ISU forced three shot-clock violations in the season opener vs. Cleveland State and on the road at Kansas, four against Northern Colorado and two against both IPFW and Drake.

They're Back
Iowa State returned to both national polls this season at No. 24 on Jan. 10 for the first time since early 2002 ... ISU last appeared in the AP poll at No. 20 on Nov. 25, 2002 ... the Cyclones were ranked at No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll on Dec. 2, 2002, before falling off of the national lists.

Home Sweet Hilton
Iowa State is 13-0 in Hilton Coliseum this season ... the Cyclones have been phenomenal at home during Fennelly's tenure, compiling a 126-22 record (.851) in Hilton Coliseum, including a 54-3 mark against regular-season nonconference opponents ... ISU recorded its first women's basketball sellout last season in the WNIT-NIT double-header March 25 ... the capacity crowd watched the Cyclones advance to the WNIT Final Four with a 66-58 win over Saint Joseph's ... Fennelly's 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads posted ISU's only undefeated home campaigns, going 15-0 and 16-0, respectively.

Smarty Pants
Anne O'Neil earned 2005 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District VII Academic All-America first-team honors, her second consecutive season to earn the award ... the senior guard owns a 3.86 grade point average in communication studies and will be placed on the national ballot ... this is the 13th time an Iowa State women's basketball player has earned the honor and the 10th time a Cyclone has made the list during head coach Bill Fennelly's tenure.