ISU (14-2, 2-2 Big 12) lost its second straight game and star guard/forward Addy Brown didn’t play because of a back injury. Starting guard Arianna Jackson appeared to sustain a major injury late in the loss to the Bearcats (6-10, 1-3), as well, which made that quote particularly apropos.
Baylor lost its Big 12 opener, 69-63, at TCU but ranks among the nation’s elite both in adjusted offensive efficiency (12th in KenPom), and offensive rebounding (fourth in KenPom).
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.
Iowa State is third, Iowa sits in fourth and University of Northern Iowa is No. 17 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division I dual rankings released Tuesday.
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.
Jordan Williams has split time as the 157-pound starter for fourth-ranked Iowa. He made a case to be the top guy, reaching the finals of the Soldier Salute wrestling tournament Sunday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Check out updates from The Gazette Iowa State correspondent Rob Gray with news and information regarding the transfer portal
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.
Iowa will send 16 wrestlers, but only a few starters, to the Soldier Salute wrestling tournament Saturday and Sunday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
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.
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