PRIMER: No. 12 Iowa State at Drake

Who: No. 12 Iowa State (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Drake (1-2, 0-0 MVC)

Where: Knapp Center – Des Moines, Iowa

When: Thursday, November 20, 2025 – 6:00 p.m. CT

The Links

No. 12 Iowa State takes to the road for the first time in the regular season on Thursday. The Cyclones will play their first in-state rivalry game in the midweek as well, taking on Drake in Des Moines.

FOUR THINGS

4 – Iowa State junior Addy Brown recorded the fourth triple-double in program history on Sunday against Norfolk State, tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It marks the first time in over a decade that a Cyclone achieved the feat.

12 – The Cyclones were picked 12^th in the Week 3 Associated Press national poll. It marks the 197^th week in program history that ISU has been ranked as a Top 20 team, all in the Bill Fennelly era.

15 – Iowa State's top two distributors rank in the Top 15 nationally for assists this season. Jada Williams leads ISU with 35 dimes on the year and ranks third in NCAA Division I women's hoops while Addy Brown ranks 11^th with 30 assists.

72 – Audi Crooks has scored in double figures in 72 straight games. It marks the longest streak by a Cyclone women's basketball player and longest active streak in NCAA women's basketball. Crooks also holds the longest streak by a Big 12 women's basketball player since Brittney Griner's 116-game run from 2010-2013.

SERIES NOTES

The Cyclones meet the Bulldogs for the 64th time in series history and the 32nd time in Des Moines. Iowa State has won four of the last six matchups against Drake but just one of the last four in Des Moines. ISU is 23-15 against Drake when scoring at least 70 points and 15-6 when scoring 75 or more points. Last season against the Bulldogs, Cyclone fans witnessed a thriller in Hilton Coliseum as Audi Crooks made a layup with one second remaining on the clock to secure an 80-78 victory over the in-state rival.

LAST TIME OUT

Iowa State took down Norfolk State on Sunday in Hilton Coliseum, 98-52, on a day filled with milestone celebrations for the Cyclones. Prior to the game, Addy Brown was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point the game before against Valparaiso. Brown went on to record the fourth-ever triple-double in program history and first in over a decade, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Alisa Williams finished with her first career double-double in just 14 minutes of action, totaling 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, seven on the offensive end of the floor. Audi Crooks posted a game-high 19 points with 10 rebounds as well to mark the first time since December 2022 that three Cyclones had posted double-doubles in the same contest. Iowa State also became the first Big 12 team this century to have one player record a triple-double (Brown) and two others record double-doubles (Crooks, Williams) in the same game.

CYCLONES GARNER PRESEASON ATTENTION

Iowa State's trio of Addy Brown, Audi Crooks and Jada Williams has received national attention in the preseason, appearing on several watch lists and collecting preseason honors. Brown and Crooks were voted to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and appeared on the Naismith Trophy Preseason, USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and Wooden Award watch lists. When the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists were announced, Williams (Nancy Lieberman Award), Brown (Katrina McClain Award) and Crooks (Lisa Leslie Award) were all three selected to their respective position 20-woman watch lists.

CHANGING OF THE (POINT) GUARD

Following the graduation of five-year starting point guard Emily Ryan, Iowa State signed Arizona transfer Jada Williams to direct the Cyclone offense in 2025-26. Williams arrives in Ames following two seasons with the Wildcats where she averaged 12.7 points per game as a sophomore, increasing her average to 13.4 points per contest during conference play.

Through her first five games as a Cyclone, the Kansas City, Missouri native has averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest. Her assist rate has increased by over 4.0 dimes per game from last season. She finished 8-of-13 (.615) from the floor for 17 points, helping Iowa State to an 85-58 win over Southern (Nov. 5, 2025). The 5-8 guard finished with her first career double-double against Valparaiso (Nov. 12) with 11 points and 10 assists, a career high.

OFF TO THE RACES

The Cyclones have started the 2025-26 campaign with a 5-0 record, the best start to a season since 2022-23. ISU's 5-0 start to the season is the 12th time in program history and 11th in the Bill Fennelly era the Cyclones have remained unbeaten through the first five regular season games. With a win at Drake, Iowa State would move to 6-0 for the first time since 2021-22, when the Cyclones started the season 7-0. Iowa State's best start was 14 straight wins in 2013-14 ... the Cyclones have had two 12-0 starts, both under Fennelly (1995- 96, 2001-02).

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Players Mentioned

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Alisa Williams

Jada Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics