ISU Advances to Championship, Wins vs. No. 17 OU

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State (20-10, 12-6 Big 12) downed No. 17 Oklahoma (22-9, 15-3 Big 12) by a final of 85-68, booking a return trip to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Audi Crooks entered double figures in the midst of a 7-0 run, ending the first half with the Cyclones ahead 38-24. Never letting up, ISU built a lead in the second half of as much as 28 in the fourth quarter to seal the 17-point semifinal win.

The victory made for ISU's sixth ranked victory of the season and second in a row. Six Top 25 wins is tied for the second-most in school history and highest total since the 2001-02 season. The Cyclones also had their 10th game this season with 10 or more 3-pointers totaling 12. That total ties the seventh-highest mark in Big 12 Championship history. Iowa State now holds six of the top 11 3-point game highs in tournament history.

Emily Ryan passed 750 career assists and brought in a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Ryan also notched six rebounds, two steals and a block. It is Ryan's second-straight game with 10 assists.

Crooks had a game-high 25 points and came one rebound shy of a double-double. Addy Brown was the third in double figures with 16 points, with 12 coming from 3-pointers. Brown also had seven assists and six rebounds.

How it Happened

ISU went up 8-5 after back-to-back buckets by Isnelle Natabou, while Crooks kept the run alive with a 3-pointer causing OU to call a timeout. The Cyclones extended the run out of the timeout to 13 straight with 3-pointers by Kelsey Joens and Jalynn Bristow, making it 18-7, ISU with 3:20 on the clock. At the end of one, Iowa State held a seven-point edge at 18-11.

With Oklahoma within five, Joens sunk another from beyond the arc as the second quarter began. As the scoreboard read 23-18, Iowa State continued to deliver 3-pointers as Brown totaled the fifth. Oklahoma would trim their deficit to four, but Ryan answered with a deep shot making it 29-22 with 4:09 remaining in the half. The Cyclones closed the half hot on a 7-0 run to take a 38-24 lead into halftime.

Brown pulled down the rebound and ran down the court to send the ball in the basket, while Crooks followed with a second-chance jumper to make it a 20-point Cyclone advantage (46-26). A Hannah Belanger 3 brought the lead to 25 with just over four minutes to play in the third. ISU and OU would trade 3-point makes, with Iowa State remaining with a strong lead. The game would be sent to the final frame with a score of 62-43.

The Cyclones put the first seven points on the board in the final quarter, including Brown's fourth deep shot. Arianna Jackson became the seventh Cyclone to shoot a 3, building the lead to 27 with 6:27 to play. OU took a run of eight late in the quarter but Iowa State pressed on to close the game ahead by 17.

Top Performances

Emily Ryan notched her third double-double of the season and 14th of her career with 12 points and 10 assists. Ryan now has five games this season with double figure assists and 17 on her career. Audi Crooks went out to her 29th-straight double-figure point game and 15th 20-point game, bringing her final stat line to 25 points (12-of-19 shooting), nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Addy Brown matched her career high with four 3-pointers, only missing one shot from deep. The freshman's stat line ended at 16 points (6-of-9 shooting), seven assists and six rebounds.

Notes

Iowa State women's basketball's all-time record moved to 847-663 (.561).
Head coach Bill Fennelly's career record moved to 776-364 (.681). His Iowa State record is now 610-311 (.662) overall.
The Cyclones are 34-37 all-time in the single elimination format of the conference tournament and 33-24 in the Fennelly era.
Iowa State claimed its sixth AP Top 25 win of the season with the win over No. 17 Oklahoma today. Iowa State is one of 10 teams in NCAA Division I this season with six or more top 25 wins.
With Audi Crooks' 3-pointer in the first quarter, Iowa State has now recorded a triple in an NCAA women's basketball record 924 consecutive games.
Iowa State outrebounded Oklahoma, 38-34. It is the 26^th time the Cyclones have outrebounded their opponent this season.
Emily Ryan has recorded an assist in every collegiate game she has played in. Today, she finished with 10 assists, moving her career total to 756. She has posted five or more assists in a single game 15 times this season and 83 times in her career.
With her fourth assist, Emily Ryan became the 11^th player in NCAA Division I women's basketball since 1999-00 to record at least 1,200 points, 750 assists, 500 rebounds and 160 steals in a career. Her totals move to 1,240 points, 756 assists, 510 rebounds and 165 steals.
Audi Crooks tallied a game-high 25 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the floor. It marks her 15^th 20-point game and her 29^th-consecutive game finishing in double figures. She was one rebound short of a double-double. It is the 19^th time Crooks has led ISU scorers.
Hannah Belanger has made a 3-pointer in 18-straight games. She finished her day with six points with two triples.

Up Next

Iowa State advances to the championship and will meet the winner of the Texas vs. K-State game on Tuesday, March 12 at 8 p.m.

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Team Stats

Audi Crooks

Addy Brown

Emily Ryan

Hannah Belanger

Players Mentioned

Hannah Belanger

Jalynn Bristow

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Arianna Jackson

Kelsey Joens

Isnelle Natabou

Emily Ryan

Players Mentioned

Hannah Belanger

Jalynn Bristow

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Arianna Jackson

Kelsey Joens

Isnelle Natabou

Emily Ryan

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