Iowa State Cyclones’ guard Aili Tanke (32) takes a three point shot over USC Upstate Spartans guard Gracie Barnes (22) during the fourth quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications:
AMES, Iowa – No. 20 Iowa State (7-2, 0-0 Big 12) took the win over USC Upstate (2-8, 0-0 Big South) by a final score of 92-35 Tuesday night.
Five Cyclones combined for six 3-pointers in the first frame as ISU went on its way to command the lead. Iowa State ended the night with a season-high 15, the third game this season with 10-plus. ISU also had a season-high 19 steals, the third game with 10 or more. Emily Ryan led with seven steals.
Audi Crooks recorded a double-double in the first half and went on to put up a stellar line of 15 points, 13 rebounds while distributing five assists to lead the game in all three categories. It was her 40th consecutive game with 10-plus points.
Addy Brown (14), Aili Tanke (12) and Kelsey Joens (11) also ended with double-figure points. Tanke led with four 3-pointers, while Joens made a trio of shots from deep.
How it Happened
Scoring began seven seconds into the contest with a Kenzie Hare 3-pointer and the Cyclones would go up by seven before USC Upstate got on the board. Tanke hit the next deep shot with 6:42 on the clock to put ISU ahead 12-3 as the visitors followed to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Cyclones remained hot extending a run of 18, holding the Spartans scoreless for over five minutes of play. At the end of one, Iowa State led 32-11.
The second again began with a shot from beyond the arc, this one by Tanke, as the Cyclones continued to roll finding a 30-point lead (41-11) at the second quarter media timeout. ISU ended the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 48-13 advantage into halftime.
Brown drained a triple as the clock read 9:19 in the third, meanwhile Joens hit her third triple of the game as Iowa State built a 62-18 lead. Sydney Harris became the seventh to make a 3 and the deep shots continued to fall as Tanke totaled her third midway through the quarter. The lead grew to 50 (72-22) at the media timeout, and the Cyclones closed the third with more 3-pointers by Lily Hansford and another at the buzzer by Brown to remain up 50.
The Cyclones began the fourth ahead 81-30 and held the visitors scoreless for the first five minutes. Freshman Tanke followed to record her fourth triple on just seven shots with 4:05 remaining, and ISU would go on to seal the victory by 57 points.
Top Performer
Audi Crooks ascended 800 career points on the night, now holding 814. The sophomore had her third double-double of the season and 11th of her career with a stat line of 15 points (60 percent shooting), 13 rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes of action.
Up Next
No. 20 Iowa State next hosts Central Michigan Sunday, Dec. 8 at noon. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes
- Iowa State’s all-time women’s basketball record moves to 855-668 (.561).
- Head coach Bill Fennelly‘s Iowa State record moves to 618-315 (.662) and his career record moves to 784-368 (.681).
- The Cyclones have made at least one 3-point field goal in an NCAA women’s record 936 consecutive games, finishing with a season-high 15 triples tonight. ISU has made 7,595 triples throughout the streak and has finished with 10 or more 3-pointers in a game 287 times.
- ISU has made 80 triples this season.
- Iowa State finished with 19 steals tonight, the most since ISU’s Dec. 19, 2018, contest against Prairie View A&M.
- Emily Ryan led Iowa State with seven steals, the most by a Cyclone since she recorded nine (school record) against Omaha (Nov. 9, 2021).
- With her first point of the day, Audi Crooks scored her 800th career point. She has recorded 179 points this season and her career total sits at 814.
- She captured her third double-double of the season in the first half with 10 points and 11 rebounds. It is her 11th career double-double.
- Crooks has finished with 10 or more points in 41 consecutive games after she tallied 15 points today.
- Ryan finished with four assists today, moving her career total to 848 dimes. The mark is good for 24th all-time in NCAA Division I women’s basketball and second in the Big 12.
- Ryan also made both of her free throw attempts, extending her make streak at the line to 23. The run began last season in the NCAA Tournament against Maryland (March 22, 2024).
- Ryan’s career free throw percentage of 87.8 percent (294-335) is second in Iowa State program history, trailing only Kelsey Bolte’s 87.9 clip (211-240).
