AMES — A sleepy Sunday afternoon coincided with a sluggish start for the 12th-ranked Iowa State women’s basketball team. The Cyclones (7-0) led vastly overmatched Mercyhurst (0-5) by just two, at 26-24, after the first quarter.

The Hoosiers are set for one of their toughest covers of the season on Sunday. Here’s what to know before the game.

Northwest Missouri State beat Graceland while Iowa and Iowa State were also winners in regional women’s college basketball on Sunday.

The Iowa State junior center entered Sunday’s game averaging 24.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Crooks is a household name in NCAA women’s basketball. She was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, Wooden Award Watch List and was Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. Quite an impressive list.

The Iowa State Cyclones faithful have had a lot of great sporting events to watch in recent years. The football team and both the men’s and women’s basketball t

The Cyclones checked in at No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches poll, which was released Nov. 25. Iowa State had previously been ranked No. 15 in the poll before beating in-state rival Drake in Des Moines and pummeling Mercyhurst later in the week.

The Iowa State Cyclones (7-4) look to close the regular season with a third straight victory and a winning record in the Big 12 Conference when they visit the Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-10), losers of 10 straight,