Articles Tagged: Iowa State women’s basketball

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly chuckled slightly when he saw who his team would play to begin the NCAA tournament. That’s because the seventh-seeded Cyclones will face No. 10 seed Maryland, coached by one of his former assistants, Brenda Frese.

At least four of the state of Iowa’s Division I basketball teams head to the NCAA tournament, and there isn’t a one of them that hasn’t already done big things

Iowa State followed last season’s Big 12 women’s basketball tournament winning script perfectly. First, upset Baylor. Second, do the same to regular-season league champion Oklahoma. Third? Well, fourth-ranked Texas conjured up a cruel plot twist — and instead of falling to the Cyclones in the title game like last season, the Longhorns cruised to a 70-53 triumph Tuesday night at T-Mobile Center.

Iowa State whips top-seeded Oklahoma in semifinals and will battle Texas in championship Tuesday night

Audi Crooks scored 23 points including the go-ahead basket with 41 seconds left and Emily Ryan made all eight of her free throws in the fourth quarter to help Iowa State wrap up a 67-62 win over No. 17 Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

When Iowa State senior point guard Emily Ryan considered whether or not to come back for one more season via a COVID-19 year, let’s just say she didn’t ruminate.

Graduate transfer Hannah Belanger scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half as the Iowa State women’s basketball team beat Cincinnati 76-60 on Senior Day.

If Iowa State beats Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Saturday on Senior Day at Hilton Coliseum, its odds of not playing the first two days in the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament spike significantly.

Bill Fennelly said thriving from both inside and outside the line is the Iowa State women’s basketball team’s goal every night, but Saturday’s well-rounded performance in a 74-49 win over BYU hinged on near-perfect execution and the Cyclones responded.

Iowa State handled Houston, 76-64, Wednesday on the road to successfully complete the first segment of a four-part journey to end the regular season. The Cyclones now seek to sweep BYU and solidify their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly said early in the season he thought freshman Audi Crooks might be a 15-20 minutes-a-game type of player. Crooks changed his mind rather quickly, though, and now she’s routinely inching into the 30-plus minutes range while largely avoiding foul trouble and fatigue.

Kansas State welcomed All-America post Ayoka Lee back to its lineup Wednesday night after a month away with an ankle injury. Iowa State was an unwelcoming host. The Cyclones made 10 of 10 free throws in the final 35 seconds to secure a 96-93, double-overtime victory over the seventh-ranked Wildcats at Hilton Coliseum.

With or without All-American Ayoka Lee, Kansas State has proven to be an extremely formidable foe. The Wildcats sit one game behind conference leader Oklahoma in the standings — and will pose a stern challenge for Iowa State regardless of her current health status.

The Big 12-leading Oklahoma Sooners led by as many as 18 points and cruised to an 86-72 women’s basketball win over Iowa State before a Hilton Coliseum crowd of 10,377.

If she’s not passing the basketball, she’s dishing out advice. If she’s not scoring, she’s poring over details to make her team better. In short, Iowa State senior point guard Emily Ryan serves as a de facto coach as well as a player — and her valuable dual role could be key in helping the Cyclones shake off their recent slump.