Drake women's basketball looks to take a step forward against Iowa State

When Jennie Baranczyk was coaching the Drake women’s basketball team, she would divvy up the preparation of the upcoming opponent, like many other coaches do, to one of her assistants. That assistant was tasked with studying that opponent and coming up with a scouting report.

When the Bulldogs were getting ready for Iowa State, the preparation would sometimes fall on the shoulders of Drake’s current coach and Baranczyk’s eventual replacement, Allison Pohlman.

“You definitely get pretty familiar with really what their tendencies are,” Pohlman said.

Pohlman is hoping some of that knowledge will help Thursday night. Just three games into Pohlman's tenure as the head coach of the Bulldogs, she'll face a tough task in Iowa State. The Cyclones enter the 6 p.m. game at the Knapp Center ranked 16th in the nation.

Pohlman, who took over the program when Baranczyk left for Oklahoma after last season, is well versed on the challenges Iowa State presents.

“I think the thing about Iowa State is they’re well-known for their offensive output and how well they typically shoot the ball,” Pohlman said. “They’ve got a lot of really, really phenomenal players.”

That's usually been the case for the Cyclones under longtime coach Bill Fennelly. Fennelly, the longest-tenured coach in the Big 12 Conference, has continually produced some of the best scoring players and teams in the league. Keeping up with them or slowing them down is not easy. But the Bulldogs have had some luck over the years, spitting the last six games with the Cyclones.

Previously:

• Cyclones thoughts: Defense is coming and Aubrey Joens provides big boost

• Iowa State women improve to 2-0 with win over South Dakota State

• Drake takeaways: Katie Dinnebier shows she's ready for the college spotlight

• Katie Dinnebier's big 3 gives Drake win in Allison Pohlman's coaching debut

But this year's game may be the most challenging for Pohlman. The Cyclones returned 69.8% of their scoring and 74.3% of their assists from last season's team that went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Among the big returnees are Ashley Joens, Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan. But as Pohlman has learned, that's not the only thing that makes Iowa State such a strong team year after year.

"Coach Fennelly always has them ready to play, and they're hard-nosed and gritty and always up for a great game," Pohlman said.

Drake (1-1) also brought back a wealth of experience from last season, with three of its top four scorers returning. The Bulldogs added two freshmen in Anna Miller and Katie Dinnebier and Iowa transfer Megan Meyer. All three have played significant roles early on for the Bulldogs, who opened the season with a win over Creighton and then lost to South Dakota. Iowa State (2-0) has tallied wins over Omaha and South Dakota State.

"This is one of those weeks where you turn around and you've got to play an in-state game on the road," Fennelly said. "So you've got to find those wins when you can."

Both teams have high hopes for their seasons. The Bulldogs, always a contender in the Missouri Valley Conference, were picked to finish second in the league this season. Iowa State, a regular in the NCAA Tournament, tied for second in the preseason Big 12 poll. Thursday's game is a good gauge to see where each team is at. For Drake, it's a chance to bounce back after struggling mightily on the offensive end against South Dakota on Monday.

"Are we going to take a step back or are we going to take a step forward?" Pohlman said. "I fully expect our team to be very ready and to match forward."

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: Drake, Iowa State women's basketball teams to tangle at Knapp Center