Audi Crooks wins the paint showdown, ISU tops Iowa in battle of unbeatens, 74-69

AMES — While her two post counterparts watched on the Iowa bench, Audi Crooks wielded the final dagger from the free throw line.

The nation’s leading scorer, Crooks (30 points, 10 rebounds) decisively won the conflict in the paint, and 10th-ranked Iowa State held off No. 11 Iowa, 74-69, in a non-conference women’s basketball game before a crowd of 14,009 Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.

The “battle of the bigs” was a big advantage indeed for the Cyclones, who improved to 11-0 for the first time since 2013-14.

“Asserting ourselves early in the game, getting them in foul trouble, that allowed us to flow more smoothly,” Crooks said.

The Cyclones snapped a three-game losing streak to their primary in-state rivals, beating the Hawkeyes (9-1) for just the second time in the last 10 meetings.

ISU led by 17 points late in the third quarter, and held on despite missing seven foul shots in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve got to work on free throws,” said ISU’s Addy Brown, who added 20 points and 12 rebounds. “We will, I promise.”

Crooks capitalized on the game-long foul woes of Iowa’s Ava Heiden, who played just 15 minutes and fouled out with 4:18 remaining.

Hannah Stuelke soon followed Heiden to the bench, picking up her fifth foul in the closing seconds, moments after Mackenzie Hare blocked a potential game-tying 3-point attempt by Iowa’s Taylor McCabe.

“With Ava in foul trouble, it took a big cog out of our game plan,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “She’s the one player we can’t afford to have in four trouble. It kept her from playing with freedom. When you play cautious, you lose a little of who you are.”

Crooks, who logged 36 minutes, made the clinching free throw, Brown added another, and the Cyclones were victors.

The game was tied, 35-35, at intermission before Iowa State jolted the Hawkeyes in the third quarter.

Alisa Williams’ lone basket of the game put the Cyclones in front, 60-43, with 0:45 left in the third quarter.

Iowa made it interesting — extremely interesting — with a late burst. Heiden’s basket, off a feed from Kylie Feuerbach, closed the margin to 63-58 with 5:18 left.

The Hawkeyes got within 65-62, 67-64, 70-67 and 72-69, but the Cyclones had a response each time.

Both teams were middling, at best, from the line. The Cyclones finished 9 of 20; Iowa was 6 of 12.

“I wish I had the magic,” Jensen said. “It’s not something that we haven’t addressed.”

Chit-Chat Wright scored a career-high 21 points for the Hawkeyes, 13 in the first half.

Wright missed three games recently due to an upper-body injury. She played sparingly in Iowa’s win at Rutgers on Saturday.

“I felt great coming into the game, this being my first real game back,” Wright said. “I knew there were going to be some highs and lows. I needed to be level-headed.”

McCabe added 11 points. Stuelke and Feuerbach scored 10 apiece. Stuelke secured 15 rebounds, but was 5 of 14 from the floor.

Jada Williams gave the Cyclones a third double-double: 11 points, 12 assists.

Wednesday’s outcome gave Iowa State a 13-2 advantage in the 2025-26 Cy-Hawk Series.-

Iowa returns home to face Lindenwood on Saturday; ISU welcomes Northern Iowa on Sunday.

Iowa State 74, Iowa 69

At Ames

IOWA (69): Hannah Stuelke 5-14 0-2 10, Ava Heiden 4-7 0-2 8, Taylor McCabe 4-9 0-0 11, Kylie Feuerbach 3-7 2-2 10, Chit-Chat Wright 7-14 3-4 21, Taylor Stremlow 1-3 0-0 2, Layla Hays 1-3 1-2 3, Addie Deal 0-4 0-0 0, Journey Houston 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 27-63 6-12 69.

IOWA STATE (74): Addy Brown 7-11 4-9 20, Audi Crooks 13-20 4-7 30, Arianna Jackson 0-3 0-0 0, Jada Williams 5-13 0-2 11, Mackenzie Hare 2-4 1-2 6, Alisa Williams 1-2 09-0 2, Reagan Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Sydney Harris 2-3 0-0 5, Evangelina Paulk 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-57 9-20 74.

Iowa 23 12 13 21 — 69

Iowa State 19 16 26 13 — 74

3-point goals: Iowa 9-24 (McCabe 3-8, Feuerbach 2-5, Wright 4-9, Stremlow 0-2), ISU 5-15 (Brown 2-4, Jackson 0-2, J. Williams 1-4, Hare 1-3, Harris 1-1, Paulk 0-1). Team fouls: Iowa 20, ISU 15. Fouled out: Heiden, Stuelke. Rebounds: Iowa 32 (Stuelke 15), ISU 39 (Brown 12). Assists: Iowa 16 (four with 3), ISU 22 (J. Williams 12). Steals: Iowa 5 (Wright 2), ISU 2 (Jackson, J. Williams). Turnovers: Iowa 9, ISU 12.

Attendance: 14,009.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com