STILLWATER, Okla. – Iowa State (9-5, 0-1 Big 12) fell to Oklahoma State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) in its Big 12 opener by a score of 81-75 Saturday night.
After falling behind by 17 in the third, ISU battled back after 17 third-quarter points by Audi Crooks. ISU tied it at 67s on Sydney Harris' fourth triple late in the fourth quarter, but OSU did not let the lead flip as the Cowgirls went on to win it.
Crooks led the game with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Addy Brown scored 15 and came close to a triple-double with nine rebounds and eight assists. Sydney Harris was the third in double figures with 12 points.
How it Happened
The home team got out to a 10-2 start, but the Cyclones got back within four at 13-9 after a string of seven points by Brown. OSU kept with the lead though, putting the scoreboard at 18-11 at the media timeout with 2:50 to go in the opening quarter. At the end of the first, OSU led by seven (22-15).
A 3-pointer by Harris at the nine-minute mark brought the score to 26-20, but the Cowgirls followed to find a double-digit lead at 35-20 hitting a 9-0 run with 6:13 remaining in the half. Oklahoma State's run extended to 11, and another 3 by Harris ended the run a minute of play later. ISU continued to struggle shooting efficiently under 40 percent as OSU took a 41-29 lead into the break.
Oklahoma State hit its sixth triple leading to a 17-point advantage in the early goings of the second half. As OSU again went up by 17 at 5:27, Crooks would convert on a three-point play and Kelsey Joens followed that with a shot from deep to cut its deficit to 11. OSU answered with a 3 of their own, and it continued to rain 3s as Harris sunk another on ISU's next trip down the court. The lead was brought back to single digits (59-54) during a run of eight, with six by Crooks. With four seconds to go, Joens delivered a crucial shot from deep to stand four points from the lead at 64-57.
OSU found a nine-point lead, but ISU did not give up on their way to making it a one possession game (67-64) as Arianna Jackson hit a huge triple midway through the fourth. Out of the media timeout, Harris sunk her fourth triple to tie it for the first time since a 2-2 score. OSU would keep with the lead, going up by seven at 75-68 to cause an ISU timeout with 2:24 to go. ISU was forced to foul as OSU took the win by an 81-75 final.
Top Performance
After scoring just five points in the first half, Audi Crooks came alive with 17 in the third quarter alone. Crooks had her eighth 20-plus game of the season and 25th of her career. With her 10 rebounds, Crooks has her sixth double-double of the season and 14th of her career.
Up Next
Iowa State returns home to host Kansas New Year's Day at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes
Iowa State's women's basketball all-time record moves to 876-671 (.566) and 333-353 (.483) all-time in conference play.Head coach Bill Fennelly's Iowa State record moves to 620-318 (.661) and his career record moves to 786-371 (.679). He is 285-205 (.582) in conference games at ISU.The Cyclones have made at least one 3-point field goal in an NCAA women’s record 941 consecutive games, finishing with six triples tonight. ISU has made 7,628 triples throughout the streak and has finished with 10 or more 3-pointers in a game 288 times.With her steal, Emily Ryan became the fifth Cyclone to record 200 career steals.Finishing 4-of-4 from the line, Ryan also made her 300th career free throw, moving her total to 301. She is the 14th Cyclone to record over 300 makes at the charity stripe.Emily Ryan holds the NCAA Division I 20th all-time best assists total. Ryan tallied three assists tonight and has posted 878 in her career.Ryan’s career point total of 1,402 moved her into 16th all-time by an Iowa State player. She passed Chelsea Poppens’ 1,400 points with her nine points on the night.Emily Ryan has played in 133 career games, the fifth most all-time by a Cyclone.Audi Crooks’ team-high 28 points marked her eighth 20-plus point game of the season and 25th of her career. Crooks has finished with 10 or more points in 46 consecutive games.With her 19th point of the night, Crooks tallied her 300th point of the season. Her career total sits at 944 points through 47 games.Crooks also pulled down 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.Addy Brown pulled down her 100th rebound of the season with her seventh board of the night. Brown finished with nine rebounds and has pulled down 371 boards in her career.Sydney Harris scored her 100th point as a Cyclone with her fourth point of the night. Harris finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers.With her first made 3-pointer of the evening, Kelsey Joens recorded her 50th career triple.
