After three straight road losses, the Badgers (2-3) will look to even their record when they travel to Ames, Iowa for a Sunday afternoon showdown with Iowa State (3-1).

In last year’s matchup, the Badgers entered with a 2-3 record and came out with a 76-73 win. In that game, the Badgers placed five players in double figures and withstood a late Cyclone rally when guard Ashley Josephson converted a three-point play in the final seconds to give head coach Lisa Stone her first home win at the Kohl Center.

“They’ll remember what Ashley (Josephson) is all about, but we have so many different threats,” guard Stephanie Rich said.

This time around, the Badgers will try to accomplish the same feat, but they may have to rely on a new hero. Josephson did not play in Wednesday’s game at Marquette after pulling out at the last moment with a neck injury suffered in the pre-game shoot around. Her status is day-to-day.

Notching a win at Hilton Coliseum will not be easy, especially if Josephson is unable to participate. Since Cyclone head coach Bill Fennelly took over the program the Cyclones have posted a phenomenal 113-22 record at home, including a 50-4 mark against non-conference opponents. Last season the Cyclones went 13-5 at home and upset three nationally ranked teams at the Hilton Coliseum, including then-No. 2 Texas Tech.

“It’s kind of difficult, being that they have their home crowd and we don’t have that much of a crowd,” Anderson said. “We just got to take care of the ball and not be so under pressure and just relax and have fun out there.”

Like Wisconsin, Iowa State has been in a rebuilding process for the last two years. After earning a bid to the 2002 NCAA Tournament, the Cyclones finished the 2003 campaign with a 12-16 overall record and 7-9 mark in the Big 12 Conference. Last season was Fennelly’s first losing season throughout his coaching career, much like Stone, who was dealt her first losing season last year.

Now in his ninth year at Iowa State, Fennely has led the Cyclones to six NCAA Tournament berths, including two Sweet 16 finishes and an Elite Eight appearance, and boasts an impressive 361-144 career coaching mark. Both Fennelly and Stone began the season among the top 15 winningest coaches in Division 1 college basketball, with Stone occupying the 11th spot and Fennelly placing 15th.

The Cyclones, who lost only one player from last year’s squad, opened the season with three lopsided home wins over Cleveland State 95-46, Northern Colorado 76-36 and IUPU-Fort Wayne 113-45. After trailing by 19 points at halftime Wednesday at Iowa, the Cylcones battled back before succumbing to the unbeaten Hawkeyes 89-80 and dropping their first game of the season.

Like the Badgers, the Cyclones have depth off the bench and are led by senior guard Anne O’Neil’s 15.3 points per game, 7.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The point guard has connected on 55.6 percent of her 3-point attempts and shoots 82 percent from the free throw line.

Senior forward Katie Robinette returned last fall from giving birth to a son and is currently averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. Robinette is a constant threat on both ends of the floor for the Cyclones, connecting on 57 percent of her 3-point attempts while leading the teams in blocks and steals. Senior guard Mary Fox is also not shy about firing up the 3 as she and O’Neil lead the team in 3-point shots made with 10. Fox also adds 11.3 points and four boards per game.

Rounding out the Cyclones’ double digit scorers is sophomore guard Lyndsey Medders, who averages 10 points per game and 2.75 assists coming off the bench. Last year, Medders broke the Iowa State freshman assist record while starting at point guard. Sharing time in the middle are senior center Lisa Kriener and junior center Brittany Wilkins. Both players are making the most of their minutes, averaging 6.3 and 9.5 points per game, respectively, in just 13.3 minutes of action.

With road wins tough to come by for any team, Sunday’s game could provide some momentum for the struggling Badgers or extend the squad’s three-game slide.

“Coach always says before a game, any game is the biggest game of the year,” Josephson said. “We just got to go in there focused and ready to play; hopefully it doesn’t come down to that last second shot.”