AMES— A near double-double performance from Nyamer Diew against her former team and a complete offensive turnaround in the second half powered the Cyclones to their 82-55 win over Butler University.
Iowa State started its season opener by forcing the Bulldogs into three-point attempts late into the shot clock, which Butler struggled to hit as they ended the first half 4-for-22 from beyond the arch.
This would benefit the Cyclones in many ways, as they failed to find a rhythm early on. Although they would have the lead at halftime, 29-23, things were not looking good for Iowa State heading into the break.
The Cyclones had their own struggles from 3-point land in the first half as they failed to set up shots on the outside and finished shooting 2-for-9 beyond the arch. Guards Kelsey Joens and Hannah Belanger were the two Iowa State players to find success from 3-point land but shot a combined 2-for-6 from that territory in the first half.
Instead, the Cyclones focused on pushing the ball inside and taking advantage of the size advantage they had on the Bulldogs.
“We made some silly mistakes that they caught,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “They were double-teaming us in the post. We didn’t handle that very well.”
Center Isnelle Natabou was on the receiving end of passes inside of the paint and connected on three of her five attempts inside while using her size and length to her advantage.
When freshman center Audi Crooks rotated in for Natabou, Iowa State attempted to continue to feed the ball inside but did not have the same result. Crooks ended the first half going 1-for-3 from inside and was responsible for four of the Cyclones’ 11 first-half turnovers.
Iowa State finished the first half shooting a serviceable 13-for-29 from the field, but after having their lead cut to six after a few back-to-back turnovers, it looked like a possible upset was still alive for Butler.
However, coming out of halftime, you would think the rough came off of Hilton as it began to rain threes for the Cyclones in the third quarter.
Iowa State changed its approach to its 3-point shooting and found success in spacing out the top of the key to open up shots. This resulted in the Cyclones connecting on five of their six attempts from outside in the third quarter, with Joens and Diew each responsible for two.
Outside of taking a different approach when it came to shooting, Diew was everywhere on the court, making plays for Iowa State and taking a true veteran role in the offense. In the second half, she nearly doubled her scoring from the first half and stepped up defensively with a steal and a block.
“Ny [Diew] was the best player on the court for us,” Fennelly said. “Her versatility, her willingness to score—she defended and played with a lot of energy. Everything she did, rebound score and defend, but that’s what we need when all of our near guys are looking around they need to see someone that’s like, ‘I’ve been here and done that.’”
Diew started her collegiate career with Butler in 2020 before transferring to Iowa State after her freshman season. Despite the history that she has with the program, she put all of that aside as she knew she needed to be a leader for the Cyclones in their season opener.
“We just took it as any other game,” Diew said. “I’m still in an Iowa State jersey at the end of the day, and it’s just competition and someone we have to beat.”
The senior forward finished the game with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, nine rebounds and five fouls drawn.
The Cyclones continued to feed their centers in the paint in the second half, with Natabou taking advantage of every undersized Bulldog that guarded her. She finished the game with six fouls drawn, 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and seven rebounds.
Along with Natabou continuing her success, Crooks turned things around with her 9.5 minutes of playing time in the second half. The Iowa native controlled the ball well when trusted to make a play in the paint and shot 3-for-5 in the final two quarters to finish with eight points in her collegiate debut.
Natabou made it a goal of hers to let Crooks know that while scoring is the figure everyone will focus on, she can still play a big role in the offense when the ball isn’t in her hands.
“Even if you can’t score, you can do so much more to help your team win, [like] setting great screens, being active on defense and helping your teammates to hit a great shot,” Natabou said. “Shooters like Hannah [Belanger], Ny [Diew], and Kelsey [Joens], they need open shots. Your teammates need you; your ego doesn’t need you and Audi [Crooks] knew that.”
Fennelly, who is entering his 29th season as head coach of the Cyclones, is excited not only for the freshman class that he has brought in but specifically for the opportunity to have two true centers on the roster to pound the paint, something he’s not used to having at Iowa State.
“We haven’t coached physical, true, back-to-the-basket post players ever at Iowa State,” Fennelly said. “We work on it every day. Nelly [Natabou] and Audi [Crooks] are hard to guard. They create space, and that opens up for everyone else cause now you have to come double team. They play off of each other really well.”
Crooks and the other four freshmen combined for 43 points, led by Joens with 13. Although they all still have plenty of room for improvement, Fennelly and his staff were fully aware of this as they entered the season. They demonstrated a high level of trust in the young group, even deploying all five of them on the court towards the end of the game.
“Our freshmen are talented, and they play really hard,” Fennelly said. “When they’re in the game, something’s gonna happen—might be good for us or it might be good for the other team. But that’s a freshman, and when you’re playing three, four or five of them at the same time, that’s gonna happen.”
