The No. 4 Lady Bears look to continue in their winning ways at the Ferrell Center at 2 p.m. Saturday against the Iowa State Cyclones.
The day will also serve as their annual “Sic ’em for the Cure” game, during which breast cancer survivors will be recognized on the court during halftime.
The Bears (26-1, 13-1) are on a roll after winning their last 13 games while remaining undefeated at home.
With senior guard Niya Johnson and junior guard Alexis Prince in action against No. 17 Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, the Lady Bears seem to be healthy and ready to compete.
“I just think [it is good] having our entire team healthy. You can’t go to battle with some of your players not playing,” said head coach Kim Mulkey. “We held two teams in a row to 41 and 36 points. That’s tough to do.”
“Niya had 11 assists and she averages around seven points per game. Alexis [Prince] held [Brittney] Martin to zero points when she was guarding her,” Mulkey said. “You don’t say that we lost [earlier this season in Stillwater] because we were missing two players, that’s sports. We gave them credit in Stillwater and went back to work.”
With Mulkey proud of the way her team held off a late effort by the Cyclones the first time, the Lady Bears were able to cruise past the Cyclones on the road 77-61.
“If you hit those shots, you can come in and win a ball game. If you can’t hit them, it’s going to be a long night,” Mulkey said.
The Lady Bears will need to make shots consistently if they want to get past the Cyclones this time around.
The Cyclones (13-12, 5-9) are coming off a 77-48 win against Texas Tech and although their record may not appear the best, they continue to put up a battle.
The Lady Bears lead the Big 12 in field goal percentages shooting at .451 while the Cyclones are third from the bottom, shooting at .373
With the Lady Bears also leading the Big 12 with an average of 44.9 rebounds per game, the Cyclones are going to have to battle with the Lady Bears’ dynamic presence in the paint.
The Lady Bears will need to continue working together if they want to take home the Big 12 title, junior guard Alexis Jones said.
“I think I am a lot more comfortable and we are getting to know each other a lot more. We are getting better and better. It is good to know that this team is improving every game,” Jones said.
With the Lady Bears dominating on the court, many of them are doing the same off the court in the classrooms.
Three Lady Bears were named first team Academic All-Big 12 Thursday by league officials.
The honored Lady Bears included senior forward Chardonae Fuqua’, freshman forward Kristina Hingins and sophomore guard Kristy Wallace.
At the end of the day, the goal is to win a Big 12 title and a national championship, but it is important to take it one day at a time, Mulkey said.
“The most talented teams don’t always win,” Mulkey said. “We are kind of a testament to that. In 2005 we were not the most talented team and we won the national championship.
“It was because we were healthy and we were on a roll,” Mulkey said. “If those things happen at the end of the year, I know that whoever beats us is going to have a game on their hands.”
