AMES – Whenever in-state rivalry games arrive on the Iowa State women’s basketball team’s schedule, Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly talks to his team about the past. Fennelly will remind his team of some of the previous matchups with their nearby rivals, like the 2023 loss the Cyclones suffered at Drake or the setback they suffered last season at Northern Iowa.
“What you’re trying to do is give them historical perspective of this could happen if you don’t play well,” Fennelly said.
Anything is possible when Iowa’s Division I teams tangle. The 15th-ranked Cyclones (5-0) will face the first of three in-state teams this season when the Cyclones play at Drake (2-1) at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.
Iowa State owns a 33-30 mark in the series that has had its share of back-and-forth battles over the last few seasons.
“Being a state champion is a big deal,” Fennelly said. “So it does mean a lot to us.”
Earning the title as unofficial state champion has never been easy, with Iowa producing prominent women’s basketball programs at all four schools. While the Cyclones have usually entered many of the games against Missouri Valley Conference teams Drake and Northern Iowa as the favorites, the games don’t always end up victorious for Iowa State.
“If you think about games that you’ve played in your life where it’s like, ‘Hey, this is one of the most important games I’m ever going to play, how hard did you play, how hard did you prepare,’ that’s what we’re going to run into Thursday,” Fennelly said.
That’s why he gives reminders of past struggles. Drake won the last matchup between the two teams in Des Moines on Nov. 12, 2023, with an 85-73 victory over the Cyclones. The loss to Northern Iowa last season was the first setback of the season for the Cyclones and killed some early momentum. Drake also won games in 2017 and 2019. So the Cyclones plan to be well-prepared this week.
“They’re (Drake) very well coached,” Iowa State guard Jada Williams said. “They have a lot of good chemistry and on any given night, they can come in and upset anybody. So we just know that we’ve got to come in ready.”
Can Iowa State keep up its great start?
The Cyclones have rolled through the start of the season with easy victories over St. Thomas, Southern, Sacred Heart, Valparaiso and Norfolk State. But the in-state matchup will be the toughest of Iowa State’s schedule so far. Should Iowa State successfully pass the test, it would be the first 6-0 start for the Cyclones since the 2021-22 season. Iowa State opened that season with seven straight wins and went on to rattle off 28 victories and reach the Sweet 16.
Who will rise to the occasion for the Bulldogs?
The in-state matchups have traditionally brought out some huge performances, especially for Drake. Just last season, now-former Drake star Katie Dinnebier dropped 40 points in a loss to the Hawkeyes and 39 in a setback to the Cyclones. With Dinnebier now done playing and doing analysis for select Drake games on the radio, can someone step into her role? Abbie Aalsma is averaging 20.3 points per game for the Bulldogs. Drake is also getting 17.7 points a game from Grace Knutson.
Will Iowa State’s defense be able to slow down Drake?
Iowa State’s defense has been the biggest surprise of the young season. The program has traditionally leaned on scoring and strong 3-point shooting. While Iowa State hasn’t abandoned those strengths, the team has also tried to improve on defense. With better on-ball defense, Iowa State has made massive strides, with opponents averaging just 46 points per game against the Cyclones. Even though Drake is still finding itself early in the season, the Bulldogs are typically a fast-paced, high-scoring offense. Drake is averaging 71.7 points a game this year.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball vs Drake preview, 3 things to watch
