2024-01-11 06:04:05
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (11-4, 4-0 Big 12) stunned No. 24 West Virginia (13-2, 2-2 Big 12), rallying back from a 19-point deficit to seal the Cyclones’ first ranked victory of the season and remain unbeaten in conference by a final score of 74-64. The Cyclones extended their win streak to seven while securing the 75th Top-25 ranked victory under Bill Fennelly and 79th in program history.
Iowa State fell behind following WVU converting on 25 points off 20 ISU turnovers, but the Cyclones showed their grit ending the game on a 20-2 run. Audi Crooks led the charge in the rally, putting up a double-double leading the game in both categories with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Emily Ryan played crucial minutes in the final quarter shooting perfectly with three field goals and four free throws, totaling 10 points in the fourth and 13 in the game. Addy Brown was the third in double figures with 12 on 5-of-9 shooting, also adding eight rebounds, eight assists and a block.
How it Happened
Crooks converted on the and one to begin the game with a 3-3 tie, while the freshman went on to tally the Cyclones’ first seven points within two minutes of play. At the first media timeout, ISU kept within two of the Mountaineers (11-9), while Isnelle Natabou fought for the offensive board and put in the basket to tie it right out of the timeout. It remained a one-possession game as the first quarter ended, with WVU leading 21-19.
The second began with cold shooting as neither team scored for the first two minutes, before Natabou put in two free throws as the contest was again brought to a tie at 21. West Virginia followed to take a run of six, but Crooks stopped the run as she entered double figures with a jumper at 5:02 to make it 31-25. The Mountaineers would make it a 10-point lead on their ninth 3-pointer, while turnovers proved costly as ISU committed 10 in the first half and WVU took the advantage of 44-31 into halftime.
West Virginia continued to shoot efficiently beyond the arc, netting two more on a run of nine straight points to hold the lead at 53-36 as ISU called a timeout with 6:22 on the clock. Kelsey Joens would go on to end the visitor’s scoring spree with a 3-pointer, putting the score at 55-39 midway through the third. Brown and Hannah Belanger kept it going with two more deep shots, cutting a once 19-point deficit down to 10 (55-45) with just over two minutes remaining. As time expired in the third, Jalynn Bristow stole the ball while Arianna Jackson made her free throws after drawing the foul bringing the score to 55-47.
Ryan sent in the jumper to continue cutting down WVU’s lead as the final quarter began. Iowa State battled on, making it a five-point game (57-52) as Belanger delivered her second shot beyond the arc. As WVU went back up by eight, Ryan shifted the momentum with a jumper while Brown followed with a 3 to come back within three at 62-59 for a WVU timeout. At 4:50, Crooks kept the run going tallying five straight points following a pair of layups and a free throw, putting the Cyclones back in front 64-62. Iowa State held the lead, going up by four (68-64) following a layup by Ryan assisted by Belanger with a minute to go. Ryan and Belanger stretched the lead to 10 on six straight free throws, sealing the comeback 74-64.
Top Performances
Audi Crooks extended her double-figure scoring streak to 14, while notching her fifth 20-plus point game. The freshman’s double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds was her second of the season.
Emily Ryan had a pivotal fourth quarter to seal the victory, scoring double figure points in the frame alone, bringing her final stat line to 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 26 minutes.
Notes
- With tonight’s win, head coach Bill Fennelly moves to 767-358 (.682) overall and 601-305 (.663) at Iowa State. He also picked up his 375th win in Hilton Coliseum.
- Iowa State has now won six of its last seven games against West Virginia with four played in Hilton Coliseum. The overall series record moves to 13-12 in favor of the Mountaineers while ISU is 8-4 in games played in Ames.
- With Kelsey Joen’s made 3-pointer midway through the third quarter, the Cyclones have made a triple in an NCAA women’s basketball record 908-consecutive games.
- Trailing 19 points with 6:04 to play in the third quarter, Iowa State rallied back with a 38-9 run to close the game and win by 10 points (74-64). Since the 2001-02 season, it marks the largest comeback with a win. The next largest comeback took place on Dec. 30, 2001 against San Diego when the Cyclones rallied from 15 down with 8:54 to play in the second half to win 69-67 in overtime.
- Iowa State picked up its 79th all-time win over a top 25 program and the 75th in the Fennelly era. It marks the first win over a top 25 opponent in Hilton since last February when the Cyclones downed No. 17 Texas, 66-61.
- ISU has now won seven-straight games and five consecutive at home. The Cyclones have won each of their last eight games played against Big 12 opponents.
- Audi Crooks posted her second double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, also the fifth 20-point game of her career.
- With nine field goals tonight, Crooks has tallied 97 field goals this season. She is 37 field goals from the fifth-best mark by a freshman in program history.
- Addy Brown was two rebounds and two assists shy of a triple double, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
- Emily Ryan recorded the 35th double-figure scoring game of her career, adding 13 points on an impressive 4-of-5 shooting night from the floor while going a perfect 5-of-5 from the line.
Up Next
Iowa State continues its homestand hosting No. 4 Baylor Saturday, Jan. 13 at noon.
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