AMES — A strong change in rhythm offensively during the second half led Iowa State to a comeback 82-59 victory against BYU on Wednesday after a first-half letdown.
With numerous faults in the first half, the Cyclones struggled offensively as they put up only 12 points in the first quarter. A good portion of the points came from the 50% success rate from the free throw line, as Iowa State went 3-for-6 from the charity stripe in the opening 10 minutes.
In contrast to the Cyclones’ lackluster offense, the Cougars found a dominant pattern from around the perimeter. As BYU led in the first quarter with 18 points, the Cougars found a comfortable spot in field goal range with their 48% completion in field goals, along with a 38% success rate from the 3-point line in the first half.
“The ball was moving, we were sharing it, everybody was playing more loose,” BYU head coach Amber Whiting said. “I was happy with the first half.”
The Cyclones’ minimal defense gave the Cougars opportunities to shine around the court. BYU freshman guard Delaney Gibb and senior guard Kemery Congdon carried the team’s offensive determination as Gibb concluded with a team-high of 18 points, with Congdon following closely behind with 16.
However, in the last minutes of the first half, the Cyclones finally pulled themselves together and led 38-33 at the half. The last-minute defensive success was founded by fifth-year senior guard Emily Ryan, who made her debut back on the court from a recent illness that left her out in the last game. Ryan contributed three steals to the overall seven in the first half.
“There is just something about her that calms everyone down,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “She’s very vocal on a team that isn’t vocal and that’s the norm. She just knows what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and she has done it here for five years.”
Following in her footsteps, the Cyclones amped up their aggressiveness as they were able to force a total of four steals and 21 defensive rebounds in the second half.
After the success on the defensive end, Iowa State found its groove when granted possession of the ball, leading it to outscore the Cougars throughout the second half overall, ending in a 23-point differential.
Feeding off the team’s momentum, sophomore forward Addy Brown created an 11-0 stretch, contributing to her overall score of 22 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
“We were struggling offensively, I mean I couldn’t really get anything to fall, so kinda just seeing it go in and just sticking with it,” Brown said. “It is always exciting to see when I can get the and-one, and I think after that started to go, it definitely was a turning point.”
“Addy Brown did a number on us, I mean she almost had a triple-double,” Whiting said. “She did really well.”
Along with Brown, sophomore center Audi Crooks highlighted the dynamic duo, as Crooks contributed to the team’s comeback with a team-high 24 points, going 9-for-19 in field goal range and 6-for-10 from the free-throw line.
“When I had my little moment and got hurt, then came out, I was just having a little bit of time to reset and refocus,” Crooks said. “I was definitely speeding things up, missing easy shots that I know would rarely miss in the first half. So just cleaning those up in the second half and trusting my preparation allowed me to take off.”
