Iowa State Cyclones’ forward Addy Brown (24) takes a shot as Indiana State Sycamores forward Saige Stahl (13) defends during the second quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © NIrmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Teams devise elaborate schemes to deny Iowa State center Audi Crooks the basketball.
Few of those strategies tend to work, but the byproduct of that added attention affords skilled forward Addy Brown more open looks, which she fully took advantage of Sunday in the No. 8 Cyclones’ 84-56 win over Southern before a crowd of 10,097 at Hilton Coliseum.
“If they’re going to do that, then she’s gonna keep putting up numbers like the ones you’re seeing,” said Crooks, who like Brown, recorded a double-double against the overmatched Jaguars (0-3). “So I think that’s a very dangerous game to play.”
Crooks finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Brown scored a game-high 21 points while grabbing 10 boards. The 6-2 sophomore from Derby, Kan., went 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line, and also chipped in four assists.
“I just got extra reps up after last game,” Brown said. “Didn’t make much last game — as a team we all kind of struggled, so kind of went back to the basics with my shot.”
ISU head coach Bill Fennelly often refers to Brown as one of the most underrated players in the women’s game. She’s tough. She’s versatile. She’s becoming a good defender. Couple those qualities with her pure shooting ability and it’s easy to see why Fennelly’s come to that conclusion.
“I keep saying the same thing,” said Fennelly, whose team improved to 3-0 after its third game in seven days. “It’s her third game of her sophomore year in college. So, tremendously talented, tremendously gifted from a basketball IQ sense, and you can tell. We’re lucky she’s on our team.”
Senior point guard Emily Ryan added eight points, 10 assists and five rebounds on a day she began by being honored at midcourt for becoming the Cyclones’ all-time assists leader last season. She now has 805 career assists — but Fennelly still wishes she’d shoot more.
“The thing with Emily that’s funny is, she’s in the gym all the time shooting,” Fennelly said. “I’m like, ‘You might as well go read a book or something, or go study, because if you’re gonna (spend) all that time shooting, why aren’t you shooting (much) in games,’” Fennelly said of Ryan, who hit two 3-pointers in Sunday. “But that’s not her nature. She’s smart. There’s a reason she’s the career assists leader here, and she’s looking at Audi and Addy, and she’s like, ‘I’m throwing it to them first.’ … But, yeah, she’s got to hunt her offense a little bit more.”
Her teammates wholeheartedly agree.
“She works so hard,” Brown said. “You always see her getting up extra reps, shooting before practice with a coach or somebody. So, yeah, when she’s open, we want her to shoot the ball.”
Ryan’s pass-first approach has perfectly suited the Cyclones’ program in her five years on campus — and now Brown and Crooks are among the chief beneficiaries.
“(Brown) is the perfect fit for how we want to play,” Fennelly said. “She’s a point forward, or whatever you want to call it. It’s like we have a two-quarterback system with Emily and Addy. And (Brown’s) a lot bigger and stronger than she looks. She’s a physical kid, so when we can get her on the block, that even adds to it. She’s just gonna keep getting better because the kid loves to play.”
