Va. − The Iowa State women’s basketball team knew it was facing a difficult task dealing with West Virginia's intense defense Sunday. But the job got monumentally more difficult with the news that Cyclones star point guard Emily Ryan wouldn’t be available for the tough Big 12 Conference road matchup.

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Iowa State has lost its last eight games at West Virginia and is 2-9 there all-time. The Cyclones have outscored Big 12 foes by an average of 14 points per game. WVU is coached by Darian DeVries, who left Drake in March. He was 150-55 over six seasons at Drake, and led the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournament appearances.