Cyclones Earn Big 12 Road Win At Houston

HOUSTON, Texas – Audi Crooks scored 25 points and Iowa State assisted on more than 76 percent of its baskets en route to a 76-64 win Wednesday evening at the Fertitta Center. The Cyclones move to 15-10 overall and 9-6 in Big 12 play while Houston drops to 13-13 overall and 4-11 in conference play.

Crooks was unstoppable in recording her sixth double-double of the season and finishing with 12 rebounds to go along with her 25 points. The freshman finished 9-for-11 from the field and was 7-for-8 from the line.

Crooks wasn't the only Cyclone with a double-double as fellow freshman Addy Brown had 16 points and 13 rebounds for her eighth of the season. Brown also had seven assists in the win.

The Cyclones had 23 assists on 30 field goals as a team, paced by Brown and Emily Ryan's seven dimes each. Ryan also had nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, recording her fifth career game with double-digit boards.

The Cyclones owned a 44-18 edge on points in the paint and a 53-28 margin on the glass.

How It Happened
The Cyclones got off to a slow start in the game, missing their first five 3-point tries and allowing a 7-0 run by the Cougars to fall behind 11-6 at the first media timeout.

Houston's lead would be short-lived as ISU used a 10-0 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and beginning of second to go up 23-17. The Cyclones closed the half on a 21-6 run, getting eight first half points from Jalynn Bristow, to enter the half leading 44-23. Crooks had 13 points in the opening half, going 4-for-4 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

Houston got hot midway through the third quarter, cutting a 21-point Cyclone lead down to just 11 points behind a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers on three-straight possessions.

The Cyclones stayed in control in the fourth quarter as they cruised to their fourth road win of the season.

Top Performers
Crooks posted her 12^th 20-point game of the season and leaves the game just two points shy of the ISU freshman scoring record of 460 (Megan Taylor, 1997-98).

Brown reached double figures for the 18^th time in 25 games this season.

Bristow was the hero of the first half, scoring all eight points in the opening half as the Cyclones gained separation from the Cougars.

Houston was paced by Laila Blair's 19 points, which included 10-of-11 shooting at the free-throw line.

Notes

Iowa State women's basketball's all-time record moved to 842-663 (.559) and 329-351 (.484) all-time in conference games.
Head coach Bill Fennelly's career record moved to 771-364 (.679). His Iowa State record is now 605-311 (.660) overall.
ISU's series record with Houston sits at 1-0.
With Kelsey Joen's 3-pointer in the first quarter, Iowa State has now recorded a triple in an NCAA women's basketball record 919 consecutive games.
The Cyclones recorded their 450^th assist this season with their fourth dime of the game. Iowa State finished with 23 assists and moved its season total to 469 dimes.
Iowa State posted a season-high 53 rebounds tonight, the first time since December 2020 that the Cyclones have pulled down 50 boards in a single game.
ISU also recorded its 1,000^th rebound of the season with tonight's total pushing the season tally to 1,043.
Emily Ryan has recorded an assist in every collegiate game she has played in. Today, she finished with seven assists, moving her career total to 709. She has posted five or more assists in a single game 10 times this season and 78 times in her career.
Ryan tied her career-high with 11 rebounds and was one point off a double-double.
Audi Crooks recorded her 12^th 20-point game of the season with 25 points to lead ISU. Crooks finished 9-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
With 25 points, Crooks' season total moves to 458 points, the second-most by a freshman in program history. Crooks sits two points behind Megan Taylor's 460 in 1997-98.
Crooks also finished with her sixth double-double, tallying 12 boards.
Crooks holds the program record for most field goals in a season by a freshman. Her 180 makes are 21 from breaking into the program single-season top 10 regardless of class.
Jalynn Bristow and Kelsey Joens each pulled down their 100^th career rebounds.
Addy Brown recorded her eighth double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Hannah Belanger scored her 2,100^th career point and made her 350^th career 3-pointer.

Up Next
The Cyclones host BYU on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be on ESPN+.

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Team Stats

Audi Crooks

Addy Brown

Hannah Belanger

Emily Ryan

Players Mentioned

Hannah Belanger

Jalynn Bristow

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Kelsey Joens

Emily Ryan

Players Mentioned

Hannah Belanger

Jalynn Bristow

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Kelsey Joens

Emily Ryan

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics