PRIMER: Iowa State vs. UCF

Who: Iowa State (17-5, 5-5 Big 12) vs. UCF (10-10, 2-7 Big 12)

Where: Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa

When: Saturday, January 31, 2026 – 2:00 p.m.

The Links

WATCH: ESPN+ (PxP: BJ Schaben, Analyst: Chelsea Poppens Sideline: Abby Altman)

LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network (PxP: Noah Wolf, Analyst: Jamie Steyer Johnson)

Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, welcoming UCF for its first and only matchup with the Knights this season. The Cyclones have won each of their last three Big 12 contests.

FOUR THINGS

3 – Iowa State is the only Big 12 program to have three different players named the league's Player of the Week this season (Addy Brown, Audi Crooks, Jada Williams).

4 – Iowa State junior Addy Brown recorded the fourth triple-double in program history against Norfolk State (Nov. 16), tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It marks the first time in over a decade that a Cyclone achieved the feat.

6 – The Cyclones have the ninth-best field goal percentage in NCAA Division I women's basketball, connecting on 49.6 percent of attempts from the floor.

88 – Audi Crooks has scored in double figures in 88 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

Iowa State had never played UCF prior to the Knights joining the Big 12 Conference two seasons ago. ISU dropped its first all-time matchup with UCF in 2023-24 but responded with a 2-0 sweep in 2024-25. Audi Crooks (29) and Addy Brown (20) combined for 49 of the Cyclones' 98 points in their last matchup with the Knights in Orlando (Feb. 25, 2025).

LAST TIME OUT

Iowa State took down No. 21 Texas Tech on the road on Wednesday, 84-70. Three Cyclones scored in double figures, led by Audi Crooks' game-high 33 points on 13-of-19 field goal and 7-of-7 free throw shooting. Jada Williams added 15 points and nine assists with only one turnover. ISU out-rebounded TTU, 41-30, and collected 15 offensive rebounds. The Cyclones also outscored the Lady Raiders in points in the paint (40-14) and points off of turnovers (20-13).

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 22 games as a Cyclone, the Kansas City, Missouri native has averaged 13.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest. Her assist rate has increased by nearly five dimes per game from last season (2.9 apg) and she has passed her 2024-25 assist total by over 80 dimes. She knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a career-high 28 points against Baylor (Jan. 4) in Hilton Coliseum, the seventh 20-plus point game of her career. The Kansas City native bested her career high, pouring in 44 points against Cincinnati (Jan. 21) with six 3-pointers to finish with the ISU all-time top point total in Hilton Coliseum and in a Big 12 Conference game. She followed up with 19 points and seven assists against Arizona and earned Big 12 Player of the Week status for her efforts. It was the first player of the week award she has earned in her career. Williams tallied 16 points and a career-high 14 assists at Houston for her sixth double-double of the season. Williams had not recorded a double-double in her collegiate career prior to this season.

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Players Mentioned

Addy Brown

Audi Crooks

Jada Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics