The Iowa State women’s basketball team got its feet wet in its exhibition win over Truman State 88-68. Absent from the contest were Nyamer Diew and Emily Ryan, allowing new players to take the spotlight and show their skills.

Ryan did not play due to a health-related issue, with her status currently listed as being out indefinitely.

Head coach Bill Fennelly was pleased with how the freshmen played in their debut.

“I thought the freshmen were great. I really do,” Fennelly said. “They’re looking around for someone to guide them, and Emily and [Diew] weren’t playing. That’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to play as a freshman, but it’s really hard when you’re not playing with someone who’s been there and done that.”

With Ryan being out, freshman Addy Brown stepped up as the starting point guard for the Cyclones. Brown had the most minutes of any Cyclone with 34, scoring 16 points and shot six of 15 from the field.

The absence of Diew allowed freshman Audi Crooks and junior transfer Isnelle Natabou to be the bigs for the game and get some more minutes on the court. Fennelly said Diew was having slight knee issues, but would have played if it was the true season-opener and not an exhibition.

Crooks received the biggest cheer from the crowd when announced, proving how much many Cyclone fans already want the Iowa native to succeed. Her aggressive tendencies allowed her to make big plays in the post but also caused her to get four fouls.

“It’s hard to assess when you don’t know what to assess it off of,” Crooks said. “We played well but collectively we made some mistakes. We definitely have a lot of work to do and we will work on it tomorrow.”

Crooks played significantly less than others, being on the floor for 18 minutes. Even with her limited time, Crooks recorded a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

“I learned a lot about who we are as a team,” Crooks said. “When things get rough we deal with it. We carry on and we continue to play Iowa State basketball.”

Leading the scoring for Iowa State was Kelsey Joens. The freshman had 20 points and went 5-7 from three-point range. Her scoring ability and raw talent will be a major asset to Iowa State this season.

“I watched it from the stands for how many years now, and now I finally got to don the jersey,” Joens said. “It was a dream come true, you know, just being out there with my best friends.”

As a whole, the Cyclones shot 48% from the field and 33% from three. The offense was a bit shaky to begin but got better as the game progressed.

Iowa State nearly doubled the number of rebounds Truman State had, reeling in 50 on the night while Truman State had 28. Freshman Jalynn Bristow led Iowa State in rebounds with 12.

The freshmen had a huge impact on the game as a whole. Their impact will be needed depending on how long Ryan is out for.

Fennelly knows how important these freshmen are going to be now and later for Iowa State.

“They’re the foundation of our team this year, and they’re the foundation of this team moving forward,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State will open the season at 11 a.m. Monday against Butler. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.