Iowa

Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones start week with easy win over USC Upstate

Published

1 month ago

December 3, 2024

Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones start week with easy win over USC Upstate

AMES – The past two weeks were a grind for the Iowa State women’s basketball team. The Cyclones faced two in-state opponents, took on the reigning national champions and participated in a tough trip to Florida.

This week offers a little bit of a let-up and a chance for the Cyclones to regroup.

The 19th-ranked Cyclones took care of the first bit of business by dominating USC Upstate in a 92-35 victory at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday night. Iowa State improved to 7-2.

Audi Crooks finished with a double-double, tallying 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for the Cyclones. Iowa State’s Addy Brown added 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

It was just what Iowa State needed after a two-week stretch that included a rough road loss at Northern Iowa, a close call with Drake and an ugly setback to South Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

The losses sent the Cyclones, once a top-10 team in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports Network Coaches polls, tumbling in the rankings. Iowa State certainly looked like a top-tier team Tuesday, however.

The Cyclones were in complete control over USC Upstate, which fell to 2-8. Iowa State made it clear from the start that it was the dominant team, opening with a 7-0 run.

The lead blossomed into a 25-3 advantage after an 18-0 run by the Cyclones later in the quarter. Kelsey Joens, who finished with 11 points off the bench for Iowa State, highlighted the run with a pair of 3-pointers.

Iowa State led 32-11 after the first quarter. But that was just the start.

The Cyclones opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 41-11 lead. USC Upstate, which managed just two points in the quarter, shot 1-for-13 in the frame.

Iowa State’s lead morphed to 48-13 at halftime. Brown hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter buzzer to give the Cyclones an 81-30 lead.

USC Upstate never got on track offensively. Iowa State’s defense suffocated the Spartans, who shot just 31.3% from the field.

Iowa State, which has now won three of its last four games, closes out the week on Sunday by playing Central Michigan at noon at Hilton Coliseum.

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

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

HawkCast Ep. 119 – MARK GRONOWSKI is a HAWKEYE: Iowa Lands MAJOR QB

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

HawkCast Ep. 119 – MARK GRONOWSKI is a HAWKEYE: Iowa Lands MAJOR QB

Eliot and Ross breakdown the impact of the Hawkeyes landing South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski in the transfer portal.

Is Gronowski immediately QB1 or Iowa?, how he elevates the floor and the ceiling of the QB room, why his accomplishments set him apart from previous Iowa transfer targets and acquisitions, shout out to Tim Lester/Brad Heinrichs/Tyler Barnes, what’s next with the Hawkeyes and the portal, plus more.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa football: Kaden Wetjen wins 2024 Jet Award for nation’s top return specialist

Published

10 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Iowa football: Kaden Wetjen wins 2024 Jet Award for nation’s top return specialist

IOWA CITY — On Tuesday, Kaden Wetjen was announced as the winner of the 2024 Jet Award, which honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football.

Wetjen became a weapon on special teams in 2024 as the Hawkeyes’ full-time punt and kickoff return man. He took a punt for a touchdown against Northwestern in October. Then he returned a kickoff to the house in Iowa’s matchup against Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

Wetjen finished the 2024 season amassing more than 1,000 combined kickoff and punt return yardage.

A standout at Williamsburg High School, Wetjen’s recruiting process in high school was not chock-full of college football’s elites. Division III programs wanted him. NAIA-level Grand View offered. Seth Wallace talked to Wetjen about walking on at Iowa.

But Wetjen opted to go to junior college, taking his talents to Iowa Western. His time there earned him some recruiting attention but it still was relatively limited. Iowa came around again.

Ultimately, Wetjen decided on a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers elsewhere, the most prominent of which was FBS-level UMass.

Wetjen worked his way into a bigger role at Iowa over time. He didn’t play in his first season, but in 2023 he led Iowa in kickoff returns and filled in at punt return following Cooper DeJean’s season-ending injury. In 2024, Wetjen had his best season and became one of the nation’s premier returners.

For the second consecutive season, a Hawkeye was named Big Ten’s Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year. DeJean took the honor in 2023, Wetjen did it in 2024.

Ahead of the Music City Bowl, Wetjen indicated he was likely to return to Iowa in 2025, but not yet certain.

“The plan is to come back,” Wetjen said in December. “But I’ll say I’m 98% sure.”

If Wetjen does return, Iowa is projected to return multiple key pieces of its 2024 special teams unit.

Drew Stevens, who was 20-of-23 on field goals last season, is set to come back, along with punter Rhys Dakin, who gained meaningful experience as a freshman.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

Source link

Iowa

Thelwell leads Iowa against Nebraska after 25-point game

Published

17 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Thelwell leads Iowa against Nebraska after 25-point game

Associated Press

Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten)

Iowa City, Iowa; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hawkeyes -3.5; over/under is 159.5

BOTTOM LINE: Iowa plays Nebraska after Drew Thelwell scored 25 points in Iowa’s 116-85 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Hawkeyes are 8-1 in home games. Iowa averages 89.4 points and has outscored opponents by 12.3 points per game.

The Cornhuskers are 2-1 in Big Ten play. Nebraska has a 9-2 record against teams over .500.

Iowa averages 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, 1.9 more made shots than the 8.5 per game Nebraska gives up. Nebraska has shot at a 46.2% rate from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points fewer than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Iowa have averaged.

The Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers square off Tuesday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Owen Freeman is shooting 65.2% and averaging 16.8 points for the Hawkeyes.

Brice Williams is shooting 49.1% and averaging 18.8 points for the Cornhuskers.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hawkeyes: 6-4, averaging 90.1 points, 29.3 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.6 points per game.

Cornhuskers: 9-1, averaging 76.6 points, 33.8 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.2 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Source link