Iowa
Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones running out of time to tally marquee win
Addy Brown talks about Iowa State’s missed shots against K-State and TCU
Iowa State’s Addy Brown on her team nearly knocking off Kansas State and TCU
AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team is running out of opportunities to tally a much-needed marquee victory this season. The Cyclones suffered their second ranked loss of the week with an 82-69 defeat to No. 9 TCU at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday.
With the loss, Iowa State fell to 15-9 on the season including 6-5 in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones dropped to 0-6 against ranked opponents and have yet to pick up a Quad 1 victory to spruce up their NCAA Tournament resume. Which means time is ticking for Iowa State to get one.
“Obviously we don’t feel great about that,” Iowa State’s Audi Crooks said of the week that also included a loss at No. 11 Kansas State. “That’s not how we planned on the week going. However, that is the reality. That is the situation. We had opportunities in both games to honestly win the games.”
Iowa State couldn’t capitalize on either of them, and that has left the Cyclones’ postseason future hanging in the balance. The Cyclones entered Sunday’s game with TCU on the NCAA Tournament bubble in ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme’s latest projections.
Creme, who had the Cyclones among his last four teams in, told the Register earlier in the week that Iowa State could possibly get off the bubble if it could pick up a victory over Kansas State or TCU.
Iowa State has struggled against ranked opponents throughout the season, getting pummeled by South Carolina, UConn and West Virginia and losing a closer game at Iowa.
While Iowa State hasn’t suffered any truly ugly losses so far this season, the Cyclones are in desperate need of picking up a signature win. They nearly got it when they took Kansas State to overtime on Thursday. The Cyclones had a chance to win the game but a 3-pointer by point guard Emily Ryan was off the mark.
Iowa State then had its chances Sunday. The Cyclones held TCU star Sedona Prince scoreless before she fouled out. Iowa State trailed by one at halftime and cut TCU’s lead to four in the fourth quarter. But the Cyclones couldn’t get the lead. The loss felt similar to the game at K-State.
“We’re right there in the game, throughout almost the whole game,” said Iowa State’s Addy Brown. “Like, we’ve just got to clean up the little things, a few things, five to eight minutes worth of the game and the game is ours.”
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks talks about her team’s loss to TCU
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks looks back on her team’s loss to TCU
The near-upsets may ultimately help the Cyclones, who are benefiting from what Creme believes is a weak bubble group this season. Losing to K-State and TCU may not prevent Iowa State from getting in. But it did stop the Cyclones from potentially solidifying a spot.
Now the Cyclones are running out of chances to improve their resume. Iowa State has just one more ranked opponent on its schedule, the regular-season finale with Kansas State at home on March 2. The Cyclones also travel to Baylor, which would be a nice victory. But Wednesday’s game at Cincinnati and Saturday’s contest with Colorado likely won’t do much to help Iowa State’s resume.
The Cyclones also have Kansas, Houston and UCF remaining. Those games won’t help Iowa State’s resume, but an ugly loss would certainly hurt it. Iowa State has done a good job of beating the teams it’s supposed to beat. The Cyclones will try to continue that trend.
While Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said he doesn’t pay attention to his team’s postseason picture or games down the line, he did acknowledge there are still possibilities for his team to make up ground.
“If you look at the big picture, we don’t have a bad loss … and we have whatever, seven more opportunities to play in a Big 12 game,” Fennelly said. “There’s still opportunities there for us to do some good things.”
Crooks scored 29 points, but needed 26 shots to do it
Iowa State’s sophomore star poured in 29 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out two assists in the loss. But Crooks was not efficient with her shots, connecting on just 12-of-26 from the field. Finishing near the basket was a big issue for the Cyclones, and it certainly plagued Crooks for most of Sunday.
“You can’t miss 14 shots around the basket,” Fennelly said.
Crooks and Addy Brown carried the scoring load for Iowa State
Crooks and Addy Brown combined to score 60 of Iowa State’s 69 points. Brown finished with 31 on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Then there was the 29-point performance from Crooks.
The problem for the Cyclones: Hardly anyone else contributed.
Kelsey Joens and Arianna Jackson both chipped in with three points. Emily Ryan added two. Alisa Williams had one. The eight other players who saw the court combined to shoot just 2-of-9 from the field. Crooks and Brown combined for 86.9% of Iowa State’s scoring and had all 33 of Iowa State’s second-half points.
“Obviously we’ve got to have some people step up and I think they’re more than capable,” Brown said. “We’re just waiting. We’re believing in them and we’re just going to have the utmost confidence in them because that’s what they need and I think they’re more than capable and they’re going to step up because that’s what the coaches are asking them to do.”
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
With Audi Crooks injured, Addy Brown takes control of game
Iowa State’s Addy Brown has a big game against Northern Iowa with star Audi Crooks injured.
AMES – When the Iowa State women’s basketball team came out for warmups prior to the Dec. 14 game against Northern Iowa, Cyclones junior Addy Brown peeked over at the Panthers.
Brown, who knew Iowa State star Audi Crooks wouldn’t be playing, wanted to see how her in-state rivals would react to the Cyclones’ star center not being available.
“I just saw a lot of smiles,” Brown said.
“I really think they had some hope and they were excited. And I was like, ‘Ah, no, you’re not going to be too excited for long.’ That made me mad. That gave me more motivation. I don’t forget things very easy.”
Brown took things into her own hands. She scored a game-high 28 points as the 10th-ranked Cyclones beat Northern Iowa 81-53 at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. Brown added 12 rebounds and three assists while connecting on 10-for-20 shots from the field including 4-for-7 from 3-point range while successfully filling the void left by Crooks.
“I think we gave them hope and I was going to make sure we took that hope away,” Brown said with a smile.
There was certainly reason for optimism for the Panthers. It was just a year ago that Northern Iowa took down a ranked Iowa State squad that had Crooks in its lineup in Cedar Falls. Crooks, who entered the weekend leading the nation in scoring at 27.8 points per game, wasn’t available this time around.
The Cyclones post player was out with a head injury she sustained during Iowa State’s win over Iowa earlier in the week. Crooks is in return-to-play protocol. Iowa State was also without Evangelia Paulk, a key contributor off the bench who was dealing with a mild soft tissue injury. Guard Reese Beaty is also out with a foot injury.
So the Cyclones decided to lean on Brown, one of the most versatile players in the nation, in their final in-state game and final non-conference game of the season. Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly made it clear to her before the game that she was going to have to step up in a big way.
“I told her, ‘You need to show people what I already know about you’ and ironically I told her before the game, ‘If you don’t take 20 shots, the whole team is running,’” Fennelly said.
Brown took the challenge on. She scored all eight points during an 8-0 run in the first quarter that gave the Cyclones a 14-10 lead. Brown also had five points during an 11-0 run to close out the second quarter. She capped it off by draining a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, throwing her hands in the air as the team went to the locker room.
“I was a little tired,” Brown said. “I needed a break.”
Brown nearly had a double-double by halftime, finishing the first two quarters with 21 points and eight rebounds as Iowa State led 48-26.
The Cyclones outscored Northern Iowa 19-12 in the third quarter. Brown barely needed to play in the fourth quarter, checking out with 7:32 left and Iowa State up 71-38. She needed just 28 minutes and 36 seconds of playing time to do all of her damage.
While Iowa State needed contributions from Crooks’ backups at the center spot, it was Brown who needed to take on an even bigger role Sunday.
“We had to capitalize today and it was going to be a tough one with three of our players out, but we stepped up in big ways,” Brown said. “I think it was exciting.”
What’s next for Audi Crooks
Fennelly said that he was “hopeful” that Crooks would be back when the Cyclones open Big 12 Conference play on Dec. 21 against Kansas. Crooks has been dominant this season, shooting better than 72% from the floor while pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game.
Fennelly said Crooks got hit in the head during Iowa State’s win over Iowa.
“You can’t take any chances with anyone,” Fennelly said following Sunday’s game. “She’s still mad at me because we didn’t play her, but we’re not doing that. I don’t care who we’re playing or where we’re playing.”
Fennelly said the team needs to see improvement from Crooks before she’s ready to return.
“We’ll probably know by the end of the week,” he said. “But hopefully that she’ll be back.”
Bill Fennelly provides updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly gives injury updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks
Fennelly gives injury update on Paulk
Iowa State was also without Paulk, an important contributor off the bench. The transfer played in Iowa State’s first 11 games this season, averaging 1.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 11.6 minutes per game. Fennelly said Paulk was dealing with a neck injury after possibly sleeping on it wrong.
“She can’t move her neck,” Fennelly said. “So my guess is she’ll be OK.”
Alisa Williams and Lilly Taulelei fill the center spot for Crooks
With Crooks unavailable to play, the Cyclones leaned on Alisa Williams and Taulelei. Both gave Iowa State important minutes. Williams started in Crooks’ place and scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. Taulelei added eight points and two rebounds off the bench.
Williams said she was excited for the opportunity.
“Just knowing I needed to be myself — I don’t have to be anybody else,” Williams said.
Tanya Warren raves about Iowa State
Iowa State was in the midst of a strong season a year ago, having won its first four games before playing at Northern Iowa. The Cyclones, then ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll, suffered a brutal 87-75 loss to the Panthers.
Iowa State went on to win 23 games but had to play in the “First Four” round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones were expected to compete for a Big 12 title and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament but neither of those things happened.
Northern Iowa coach Tanya Warren said the Cyclones are much improved from a season ago thanks to Brown and Crooks and the addition of point guard Jada Williams, who scored 10 points and handed out eight assists in Sunday’s win.
“They’re efficient,” Warren said. “They’re on a mission. You can tell they’re driven and they’re playing with a purpose.”
Iowa State gets ready for Big 12 play
The Cyclones finished off non-conference play with a 12-0 record. While the schedule wasn’t overly demanding, Iowa State does have some nice wins. The Cyclones handed Indiana its first loss during the Coconut Hoops event in Florida. Iowa State also beat in-state rivals Drake, Iowa and Northern Iowa to win its first unofficial state title since 2021.
“We take great pride, great pride in winning all of our in-state games,” Fennelly said. “Some people think it’s not a big deal. We think it’s a huge deal and we take that seriously.”
The victories could be nice resume-builders for Iowa State on Selection Sunday if the Cyclones need an at-large bid. But the true success of the season will be judged on Big 12 play. The Cyclones, who were picked to finish second in the league, begin with Kansas on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.
“We’re ready,” Fennelly said. “It’s time.”
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.
Not long after Matt Campbell settled in as Iowa State’s football coach, the victories began to accumulate.
Campbell’s 2016 ISU team, his first one, won three games.
His next four teams won a total of 32, including the Cyclones’ 9-3 finish in 2020.
Prior to Campbell’s arrival at Iowa State, winning in Ames was difficult.
It was hard not to notice.
Campbell, who became Penn State’s coach after a 10-year run at Iowa State, said recently he almost left Ames twice before finally saying yes to Pat Kraft and the Nittany Lions.
Almost.
“I would say there were probably two really close opportunities that I probably kind of accepted,” Campbell said last Monday.
“And then I said, ‘You know what, I can’t do it’. I slept on it, and I walked away from it, during our 10 years (at Iowa State).”
“In fairness to those organizations, I’m not going to talk about it.”
1/27
New Penn State coach Matt Campbell is introduced
Campbell wasn’t sure then.
But he said it was different when Penn State approached him about becoming the permanent replacement for James Franklin.
Two major reasons why are Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi and Kraft, the Lions’ athletic director.
“From Neeli’s standpoint, she’s a wow, and the wow factor of character, integrity, what she was looking for,” Campbell said.
“After getting off that phone call, I was like, this is the type of people you want to associate with.”
“I would say from Pat’s standpoint, (he is) this uber-competitive, want to be a partner, want to be an asset to you in this changing world of college football,” Campbell continued.
“Like, you can’t do it by yourself anymore. You have to be aligned. … Those two things, they were unwavering for me, and they were things that said, you know what, this is really special.”
A huge factor for Campbell was his family – wife Erica, daughters Katie and Izzy and sons Rudy and Rocco.
“Now, the regionality of bringing my family back home,” said Campbell, who is from Massillon, Ohio.
“I mean, being 12 hours away and for my kids to never see their grandparents and never see their cousins, and to have my father and my mother and Erica’s family be able to come and be a part of this experience with us again.
“I can’t lie and tell you that didn’t have a big impact. I think it certainly did, as well.”
Campbell also knew he reached his ceiling at Iowa State, going 72-55 in 10 seasons. The highlight of his run was the Cyclones’ 11-3 finish in 2024.
“Knowing what we’ve done (at ISU), I mean, the last three years at Iowa State have been the greatest three-year run in the history of the school,” Campbell said.
“I don’t know what else we could have done there, and I’m really proud of what we did there.”
Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol said it responded to 206 calls for service after another weekend winter storm Saturday.
From 5:30 am to 5:30 pm, ISP said it covered 88 crashes, with 74 resulting in property damage.
Officials said one person died and 13 others were injured.
The patrol had 118 motorist assists.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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