Jan 31, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Arianna Jackson (2) shoots against UCF Knights guard Samari Bankhead (1) during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
AMES — Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly walked into the locker room Saturday and essentially said, “Arianna Jackson won us that game.”
The game in question — one mired in poor shooting by almost everyone but Jackson, who drilled a career-high six 3-pointers — ended in the Cyclones’ 65-52 triumph over UCF before a crowd of 10,125 at Hilton Coliseum.
Fennelly’s words? Not hyperbole. Not by a long shot in a slog of a game filled with so many missed shots for ISU (18-5, 6-5 Big 12), which nonetheless notched its fourth consecutive victory since Jackson’s return from a knee injury.
“She won the game for us,” Fennelly said of the junior from Des Moines’ career-high 18-point performance against the Knights (10-11, 2-8). “You know me, I’m not a smart (aleck) — yes I am, but I’m not trying to be one. But, yeah, I think if ‘AJ’ doesn’t play the way she does, I’m not saying we lose, but there’s a chance.”
Jackson went 6-for-12 from 3-point range. The rest of the Cyclones went 3-for-24 from beyond the arc. And with UCF double and triple teaming star center Audi Crooks, an inability to hit shots from the perimeter can lead to disaster.
Hence the amped up accolades for Jackson, whose six 3-pointers came either with ISU trailing early, or with the plucky Knights lurking within single digits late.
“I know that feeling when you’re feeling it and you think everything’s going through the basket,” said ISU point guard Jada Williams, who scored a game-high 23 points while dishing out five assists. “So in my head, I’m just like, ‘Where’s ‘AJ?’ Just because I know she’s the hot hand.”
UCF made it exceedingly difficult to put the ball in Crooks’ hands. She finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but didn’t score her first field goal until 3:25 remained in the third quarter. Crooks has now scored in a double figures for 89 consecutive games.
“Just another double-double for her,” Fennelly said. “Ho-hum. Tough day. She didn’t panic.”
Neither did the rest of the Cyclones, who made just 5 of their 21 3-point attempts in the first half while shooting a dismal 28 percent overall from the field. Recently inserted starter Evangelia Paulk again provided a hustle-based spark for ISU by grabbing six rebounds — five offensive — and extending or ending numerous other possessions with tip outs and inbounds saves.
“Doing on the floor, loose balls, the energy, the effort, you just don’t find another player like her,” Jackson said of Paulk, who scored nine points. “She just brings another aspect to our team that I think definitely pick us up. Teams can sag off of her, but she’s gonna create something for someone else or even for herself.”
Opponents would be unwise to sag off of Jackson, who’s now shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range this season. She’s now hit three or more long-range baskets eight times this season, and Fennelly said it’s “no coincidence” that the Cyclones have won four straight games since she returned to the lineup after a two-week absence.
“In all my years of coaching, I’ve always felt like you need to have a kid — and the term I use — is you need a kid with an extra heartbeat,” Fennelly said. “‘AJ’ has an extra heartbeat because she loves Iowa State University.”
