What Fennelly would like to see most — besides an antidote to Baylor’s blueprint for curtailing Crooks’ production — is a return to form for versatile guard/forward Addy Brown.
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What Fennelly would like to see most — besides an antidote to Baylor’s blueprint for curtailing Crooks’ production — is a return to form for versatile guard/forward Addy Brown.
Dynamic point guard Jada Williams led ISU with a career-high 28 points, but needed 28 field goal attempts to reach that mark. Baylor (13-3, 2-1) decided late in the first half to put a hard double team on Crooks — who scored 14 points in 6-for-6 shooting in the first quarter — and leave Williams open looks on the perimeter.
Facing the tradition-rich and physically-imposing Bears always falls into that latter category. The Cyclones lost twice to them last season and one common denominator shaded both of those setbacks.
The Cyclones shot 13-for-25 from 3-point range to help offset holding a mere 17-to-15 edge in points off turnovers.
It’s easy to say “who cares” when those shots keep plunging through the net. The third-ranked Cyclones (14-0) are shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc — their highest success rate from long distance since 2001. ISU’s also shooting 53.2 percent overall, which would shatter the single-season program record if that degree of accuracy can be maintained.
The swift and skilled former Arizona transfer dished out a career-high 14 assists in the No. 10 Cyclones’ 80-62 win on Wednesday afternoon at Houston. Oh, and Williams also scored 16 points to help ISU (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) match the best start in program history.
The Cyclones struggled to put away the Huskies for 30 minutes, but a decisive 20-2 run in a five-minute stretch made a 10-point deficit into a comfortable 79-51 advantage with under five minutes remaining in the contest.
Jones started his college career at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa where he played from 2020 to 2021. His next stop was Buffalo, where he’d stay through 2023 when he earned third-team All-MAC honors. He finished his collegiate career with two seasons in Ames for the Cyclones, earning first-team all-Big 12 and Big 12 Sixth Man honors as a senior in 2025.
Action from the Cyclones’ victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 conference home opener
The 10th-ranked Iowa State women’s basketball (12-0) opens Big 12 Conference play against Kansas (10-2) at noon Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. The Jayhawks feature reigning Gazette Athlete of the Year Libby Fandel, who played in high school at Cedar Rapids Xavier.
Iowa State guards Killyan Toure and Tami Lipsey plan to showcase their games in Sunday’s 5 p.m. men’s basketball matchup between the Cyclones (11-0) and Long Beach State (3-9) at Hilton Coliseum.
It has been 4 years since Iowa State’s women’s basketball team won the mythical state title by sweeping Drake, Iowa and Northern Iowa.
The Cyclones will play three more non conference games against the Panthers, Long Beach State, and Houston Christian before opening Big 12 play on Jan. 2 against West Virginia at home.
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