No. 10 Iowa State seeks to snap three-game Cy-Hawk skid against No. 11 Iowa

AMES — It’s been 29 years since Iowa State head women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly successfully lobbied to restart the Cy-Hawk Series rivalry with Iowa.

And what’s his record since helping to revive a now must-watch series that went dormant the previous five seasons? 14-15.

So expect another tense and nerve-fraying matchup at 6 p.m. Wednesday when Fennelly’s 10th-ranked Cyclones (10-0) face the No. 11 Hawkeyes (9-0) at Hilton Coliseum in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN.

“Historically, they’ve been ultra competitive (with) very evenly-matched teams,” Fennelly said of a series in which six of the past nine meetings have been decided by six points or fewer. “(It’s) one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses.”

Iowa’s won three straight Cy-Hawk games since the Cyclones notched a 77-70 home win in 2021. ISU’s Ashley Joens and the Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark each scored 26 points in that game, and both would go on to become the all-time leading scorers in their respective programs.

But there’s plenty of star power for Wednesday’s meeting, as well — and All-American Audi Crooks stands front and center in that spotlight.

She leads the nation in points per game (27.6) and ranks second in the country in field goal percentage (73.2), but is 0-2 in her career against Iowa.

So is versatile ISU guard/forward Addy Brown, who notched her first career triple-double last month in a win over Norfolk State, and is averaging 12.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.

“I think it means more to me now than it did my freshman year,” the junior from Derby, Kansas, said of the Cy-Hawk game. “I mean, I even have an Iowa driver’s license now, so I think I can say that it means a little more, but it’s always an exciting time and it’s great for the state, and just two great teams going at it.”

The Cyclones rank third nationally in points per game at 95.8, while the Hawkeyes are currently 19th at 83.4. Both teams rank among the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage, as well, so defense will likely serve as the tipping point for what’s almost certain to be a fast-paced 40 minutes of play.

“One of the things we’ve talked about is, let’s do what we do, embrace who we are, (and) play the way we play,” Fennelly said. “And then as the game goes on, adjust, because we’re gonna see the best defense we’ve seen, we’re gonna see the best offense we’ve seen, we’re gonna see the best size we’ve seen, we’re gonna see one of the most experienced teams we’ve seen. All of that comes into it.”

Especially in this rivalry, where bragging rights are increasingly dwarfed by larger ambitions as both teams appear to be built for deep postseason runs as winter shifts toward spring.

“Obviously, Iowa’s by far the best team we’ve played up to this point,” Fennelly said. “And (it) will be one of the best teams we play all year. So you’re a third of the way through the season and, OK, let’s see what we can do. Whatever we do well against them, I think we can probably do well against most people. And what we don’t do well will be exposed and we’ll have to fix it, but that’s the nature of this game.”

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