Iowa State Cyclones’ center Audi Crooks (55) goes for a shot between Eastern Illinois Panthers’ guard Kiyley Flowers (7) and center Ellie Colson (14)during the first quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball home opening at Hilton Coliseum on Monday, Des. 15, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Consider Audi Crooks to be Iowa State’s lead back.
The 6-3 center is essentially the No. 18 Cyclones’ Derrick Henry — to make an NFL comparison — and keeping it simple by feeding her the ball is a wise course of action in most cases.
“It’s like, if you can run the ball and score touchdowns, run the ball,” said ISU head coach Bill Fennelly, who watched Crooks score 30 points as his team eventually pulled away from Eastern Illinois for an 87-55 win Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. “Why do we have to throw it? Just run it — and it’s OK to run the same stuff. We literally ran the same play eight times in a row. That’s OK. They’re literally looking at me like, ‘Yeah, yeah.” We call it boomerang. Just keep going in.”
Crooks went 12-for-16 from the field and six-for-six from the free throw line. Forward Addy Brown added a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cyclones’ drilled seven of their final nine 3-point attempts to close out the Panthers with a 32-8 second-half run.
ISU (9-3) led by just eight, at 55-47, late in the third quarter before scoring 14 consecutive points fueled by Crooks and three of those 3-pointers.
“I think we just focused more on the inside presence,” said guard Arianna Jackson, who sank two of the Cyclones’ 11 3-pointers. “I think at first, we were a little shot happy, so just focusing on the inside presence and then knowing your shots gonna came back to is was really what we tried to focus on.”
ISU committed 14 turnovers — and most were unforced despite the Panthers’ full-court pressure. The Cyclones started out 4-for-15 from beyond the arc but missed just two long-range attempts the rest of the game while cruising to the lopsided win.
ISU also registered 26 assists on 31 made field goals and shot 53.4 percent from the field while limiting Eastern Illinois (3-6) to 32.8 percent.
“I’m happy about the way we finished today,” Fennelly said.
Next up: A daunting, but welcomed matchup with No. 2 UConn (8-0) Tuesday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
“It will be a special way to end the non conference (season),” said Fennelly, who is good friends with Geno Auriemma — the Huskies’ legendary head coach. “The Hall of Fame thing is a great event and obviously to play on national television — hopefully we can give them a game.”
