AMES — Coming off of a bounce-back win, in which Iowa State demolished St. Thomas on both sides of the ball, came some promise that they could keep this performance going throughout the rest of the season.
One player in particular stood out in the Cyclones’ win versus the Tommies, and that would be forward Jalynn Bristow. In that game, Bristow collected 10 points off the bench, along with five rebounds and an assist.
This was the first time this season Bristow had reached the double-digit mark in points, as she has had some struggles early on this season of having shots fall in the few attempts she has put up each game.
But her struggles might have stemmed from being away from home as a college athlete, as it was a big difference for her to move so far away from home and be with a whole new group of people she had never met before.
Head coach Bill Fennelly noticed the struggles she faced for being away from home for the first time and saw her start to grow and get adjusted to her new life as a student-athlete.
“She struggled early,” Fennelly said. “Every kid goes through some level of homesick, but she seemed to have a whole nother level of it.”
Bristow admitted that her play faltered by the fact that she could not have her family by her side to cheer her on, but soon realized the reality of it and came to terms with what her future was going to look like.
“My play was definitely affected by it,” Bristow said. “I’ve never been this far from my mom and my brothers who usually came to my games, so talking through it with my mom and the coaches made it clear that it’s time to get going.”
Center Audi Crooks sees the potential that Bristow could bring to the team and looks forward to seeing her grow as a player who could help the team find success down the stretch.
“She’s definitely a very versatile player,” Crooks said. “She’s a matchup nightmare since she can play almost anywhere and is a really important piece to this team.”
Fennelly also sees the potential in Bristow to become the so-called ‘x-factor’ that Iowa State could use to win games throughout the rest of the season, especially when it comes to Big 12 conference play.
“She could be,” Fennelly said. “Everyone’s different in their skill sets, but she just instinctively knows how to play and find the ball which could make her a very good player.”
