Wake-up call works wonders for Iowa State women

AMES — A sleepy Sunday afternoon coincided with a sluggish start for the 12th-ranked Iowa State women’s basketball team.

The Cyclones (7-0) led vastly overmatched Mercyhurst (0-5) by just two, at 26-24, after the first quarter.

A spark was required, and backup point guard Reese Beaty, provided it for what eventually turned into a runaway, 112-62, win before 9,581 fans at Hilton Coliseum.

“When the ball ain’t going in, a lot of time, effort will help correct that,” said Beaty, who scored nine of her 11 points in a 32-9 second quarter. “Everything that we do, just do it the Iowa State way. Do it hard. Do it how you’re supposed to. I think that kind of fits for me.”

Audi Crooks led ISU with 27 points on 8-of-9 field goal shooting. Arianna Jackson added 12 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting. Addy Brown, Beaty, and Sydney Harris chipped in 11 points apiece.

All of that is expected. But the Cyclones — as Beaty hinted — are playing with an unusually high degree of toughness that head coach Bill Fennelly’s noticed and appreciated.

That’s thanks to Beaty, who has exuded that trait as a true freshman, as well as transfer starting point guard Jada Williams, Brown, Jackson and others.

“We have amazingly quality people, but we have lacked an edge to us,” Fennelly said. “A competitive edge that makes a difference when things are going bad, (and) it got a little crazy there for a while.

“The people that you mentioned are competitive and they’re really good about understanding when we need them to be that person. They’re not that way all the time and, again, they care about their teammates, but the edge that we can play with, I think in the long run, will help our team.”

It should help short-term, as well. ISU’s level of competition ramps up significantly when it faces Marquette (4-1) on Friday during the Coconut Hoops Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.

“I don’t know if we’re ready, but we need to be ready,” Fennelly said.

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