Iowa State could not continue its winning streak as it lost 82-68 against No. 20 West Virginia on the road Sunday.
The Cyclones had put together a three-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Mountaineers, but fell to 13-7, staying near the middle of the Big 12 standings.
In the first half, Iowa State struggled to put any points on the board, putting up 28 points in the first half. For comparison, the Mountaineers put up 30 in the first quarter alone. The Cyclones trailed 46-28 at the half.
Iowa State played significantly better in the second half, outscoring the Mountaineers 40-36. Junior guard/forward Sydney Harris scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones ended the game on an 8-3 run. Sophomore forward Addy Brown had a team-high 19 points, giving the Cyclones a little life on the offensive end.
Lack of ball handling hurts the Cyclones
With fifth-year senior guard Emily Ryan out with an illness, Iowa State struggled to move the ball and feed the scorers in the paint.
Ryan averages 6.4 assists per game, and without her, the Cyclones looked lost at times on offense. Iowa State had 18 assists, and Brown filled Ryan’s absence with seven assists.
Unfortunately for Iowa State, the lack of ball handling with Ryan out meant a lot of turnovers. The Cyclones had more turnovers than assists with 25, six of which came from freshman guard Reagan Wilson. Wilson has not played significant minutes against a ranked team in her career, which showed on Sunday.
Crooks gets slowed down
Sophomore center Audi Crooks scored 13 points and had a season-low two rebounds against the Mountaineers, one of her worst statistical games of the season.
Additionally, Crooks shot 40% from the field, tying her season-low. She has shot over 50% from the field in 11 of the past 12 games, showing that she struggled with the Mountaineer defense.
Crooks had a tough time getting shots up over anybody, as the Mountaineers have five players on the roster that stand 6-feet, 3-inches, or taller.
Freshmen get some experience under their belt
Wilson and fellow freshman guard Aili Tanke played a large portion of the game during non conference play but have seen dips in playing time since Big 12 play has started. Against West Virginia, they both played 30 minutes.
Despite the six turnovers from Wilson, she had five points, two rebounds and two assists, contributing in all aspects of the game in extended time.
Prior to Sunday, Tanke had not scored more than three points in conference play, while playing less than 10 minutes in four of five conference games. Tanke played a season-high in minutes and had 10 points. She also tied her season-high with five rebounds.
