Iowa
Iowa State showcases its efficiency in 71-59 win over TCU
14th-ranked Cyclones dish out 20 assists on 24 made baskets to complete regular-season sweep of Horned Frogs
AMES — Big man Robert Jones deftly delivered three assists. Guard Keshon Gilbert dished out seven. And No. 14 Iowa State simply distributed the ball extremely efficiently Saturday against TCU, totaling 20 assists on 24 made field goals en route to a workmanlike 71-59 win over the Horned Frogs.
“I do think our guys — there’s no ego there in terms of where the shots come from, where the points come from, who scores it,” Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger said after his team improved to 18-5 overall and 7-3 in Big 12 play.
Senior forward Tre King led ISU with 15 points and Gilbert and fellow guard Curtis Jones added 13 points apiece to help their team complete a regular-season sweep of TCU (16-7, 5-5). The Horned Frogs failed to score at least 65 points in a game for the first time this season and trailed by at least seven points for the final 22 minutes.
“We didn’t match their physicality,” TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said. “They got the game the way they wanted it. They want physical. They got physical and knocked us all over the place.”
But the Cyclones’ familiar formula for success — forcing turnovers and scoring in transition — failed to materialize on Saturday. ISU poked away a Dixon-era record 27 turnovers to help beat the Horned Frogs, 73-72, last month in Fort Worth, Texas, but collected just 12 this time around. The Cyclones made up for that relatively low number with their aforementioned efficiency and by draining 15 of their 18 free throw attempts.
“We don’t really care who scores, to be honest,” said Jones, who went 3-for-5 from 3-point range and has scored in double figures in six consecutive games despite coming off the bench. “We all have trust and believe in each other.”
Want proof? Six different ISU players have led the team in scoring in conference play and everyone who played on Saturday notched at least one basket.
King went 4-of-7 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line to help the Cyclones win for the fifth time in its past six games. He’s also drilled eight 3-pointers in Big 12 play after hitting just one during the nonconference slate. As his range expands, so does his consistent production.
“It means the world to me, just knowing they have that confidence in me,” said King, who’s drained at least one long-range basket in three of the past four games. “They see me put in the work on and off the court, so they’re gonna trust me to knock those shots down when we need them.”
That trust extends to everyone on the team, as Jones and Otzelberger noted, and it’s a major reason the Cyclones entered Saturday as one of three Big 12 teams (Houston, Baylor) with just three conference losses — and remain that way until at least Tuesday when they travel to Cincinnati.
“We’re fortunate our guys care about each other,” Otzelberger said. “They look for each other. There’s nobody out there trying to do their own thing. Everybody’s trying to make the right play for each other and that gives us great balance and makes us tough to prepare for.”
Comments: robgray18@icloud.com
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Senator Chuck Grassley said he’s recovering from a gallstone removal procedure.
His media team shared that he is working in Iowa “in good spirits and looks forward to returning to Washington soon.”
“I’m gr8ful [sic] for the excellent care from local health care providers,” he shared on X.
Over the weekend in Iowa I had a procedure to remove gallstones I’m gr8ful for the excellent care from local health care providers Be back to capitol ASAP
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) April 20, 2026
Grassley, 92, is the oldest senator currently in office and the sixth-longest-serving senator in U.S. history.
The Senate is in session this week.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.
Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.
“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.
“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”
Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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