AMES – In the second of two top-15 matchups in the span of four days, the Cyclones lost to No. 9 TCU 82-69 at home Sunday in a game that felt closer than the score shows.
Iowa State drops to 15-9 and is one game above .500 in conference play at 6-5. Before the games against Kansas State and TCU, the Cyclones had won five of six games and were on the uptick, looking to collect a signature win over a ranked opponent.
TCU started the game on a 7-0 run and built it up to 13-2 shortly after. All 13 of the Horned Frogs’ points came from guards Taylor Bigby and Hailey Van Lith. The Cyclones’ defense then tightened up and kept the first-quarter deficit to nine.
The second quarter was all Iowa State, as it outscored the Horned Frogs 21-13 and only trailed one at halftime. Sophomore guard Kelsey Joens knocked down a three right before time expired and had Hilton Coliseum on its feet.
TCU limited its slip-ups in the second half and stopped the Cyclone runs. Van Lith scored 16 of her 28 points in the second half, proving to be a tough guard all night. The Cyclones looked like they ran out of gas late and lost by 13.
Shut down Prince
Playing center for TCU was Sedona Prince, who stands at 6 feet 7 inches and is a dominant presence on the inside. Coming into the game, she averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game, both team highs. On Sunday, Prince had zero points and one rebound and eventually fouled out in just under 19 minutes.
“This is our 23rd game this season, and she has carried a heavy load every game for us,” TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. “This is the first game this season that she did not play to her full potential, and credit Iowa State for doing a great job.”
Prince had a season-low of six points before facing off against the Cyclones, but some various gameplan decisions helped Iowa State shut down her scoring completely.
“We had a game plan to double when she put the ball on the floor. I think we did a decent job of it, but I think it also kind of left some of their players open on the 3-point line, and they were able to capitalize,” Iowa State sophomore forward Addy Brown said. “It’s kind of the risk we were willing to take. You kind of have to pick and choose sometimes.”
Additionally, Brown and sophomore center Audi Crooks were able to draw fouls on Prince early, limiting how much she could play.
“Like I said, [Crooks] had done a phenomenal job [on Prince],” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “And she’s playing against one of the best post players in the country.”
Brown and Crooks do it all
Brown ended the night with a game-high 31 points, also giving her a career-high. Not only did she post that mark, but she did it efficiently, shooting 11-for-16 from the field. Brown also added six rebounds and five assists.
“I think I played pretty well, just trying to stay aggressive when I could, just take the shots that were given to me,” Brown said. “But we didn’t get the win at the end of the day, so that’s what it really comes down to.”
Crooks had 29 of her own points, making it 60 combined points for the duo. Crooks had six rebounds and two assists.
“Obviously, 60 is kind of a crazy number for two people to contribute,” Crooks said. “If that’s what’s being asked of us on a given night, then that’s what we’re willing to do.”
With Prince fouling out and relying on a few deeper bench pieces to try and defend Crooks and Brown, TCU had a tough time doing anything to slow down their offense. Campbell knew there was no stopping them completely, so he had his team key in on the 3-point shooting to limit the Cyclone scoring.
“We tried, you guys, Crooks and Brown are so good and so talented offensively,” Campbell said. “We tried to limit, do the best we can against those kids. But we really wanted to defend the three, especially on their home court.”
Role-player scoring makes a difference
Outside of players named Crooks or Brown, Iowa State had nine shot attempts and nine points. With nobody outside of those two scoring more than three points, it made defending Iowa State a little easier.
“I mean, obviously, we got to have some people step up, and I think they’re more than capable,” Brown said. “We’re just waiting, we’re believing in them, and we’re just going to, you know, have the utmost confidence in them.”
As for TCU, scoring came from everyone. Prince was the only player for the Horned Frogs that touched the court and didn’t score. Van Lith and Bigby both posted season-highs with 28 and 19 points respectively, and two others added 10 points.
“Their fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh players made some really big shots and we didn’t,” Fennelly said. “Every time that we had a chance, we didn’t finish a layup, we didn’t get up, we didn’t get a loose ball.”
TCU shot over 50% from the field and knocked down 12 3’s, while Iowa State only hit five on nine attempts. Shutting down Prince was one thing, but it opened up the outside.
“When it’s minus 21 at the 3-point line, minus 15 from the bench, those are two things that are kind of pretty glaring,” Fennelly said. “Things that, you know, there’s still time to fix it.”