Iowa State controlled the court in its last road test of the season, bringing home a 98-73 victory over UCF on Tuesday.
After the upset loss against then-No. 19 Baylor, where the Cyclones struggled offensively, Iowa State rebounded with a successful performance, showcasing its offensive strengths from all areas of the court.
The team’s strong offensive dynamic allowed them to make 57% of their shots from field goal range, which led the Cyclones to exceed their previous season record of 96 points scored in a game against Chicago State.
Crooks and Brown’s strong performances
A strong first-quarter performance boosted the Cyclones to a seven-point lead, which remained solid throughout the night. Sophomore center Audi Crooks, a focal point for many opposing teams, was sealed at low post and was unable to find momentum, but still scored nine first-half points.
With the defense lacking around other skilled players, sophomore forward Addy Brown stepped up to the plate to drive momentum. Brown led the team throughout the first three quarters before UCF’s defense got sloppy around Crooks, driving her to make 14 points in the final minutes.
Crooks ended the night with a team-high of 29 points after going 9-for-12 from field goal range. She added eight rebounds and four assists.
Despite Crooks’ last-minute success, Brown held her own and had a consistent offensive night that led her to end with 20 points, making seven out of her 10 attempted shots from field goal range. Brown also secured nine rebounds, surpassing her 500th career rebound, and had four assists.
Team involvement from behind the arc
Following a loss from Baylor that was heightened by the Cyclones’ lack of success from behind the arc, as they made one out of their 14 attempted shots, Iowa State strongly improved. The Cyclones went 40% from the 3-point line, making eight of their attempted 20 shots.
Despite the team not finding success from all their open attempts, five players found themselves with buckets from behind the arc, overall contributing to 24% of the Cyclones’ 25-point victory.
Leading the team from long range was junior guard/forward Sydney Harris, who made three out of her five attempted shots, contributing to her ending total of 12 points, three rebounds and one assist.
Following Harris’ momentum was sophomore guard Arianna Jackson, who led more defensively but found herself going 2-for-5 from behind the arc. Jackson ended the night with nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
Kaitlin Peterson drives UCF’s momentum
As UCF faced a disappointing senior night that left them outscored each quarter, senior guard Kaitlin Peterson thrived off the emotions presented on the court.
Following the emotional senior night ceremony before the game, Peterson came out strong and put the Knights on the scoreboard first after an easy jump shot. Peterson continued the one-woman show, leading the team with 15 points in the first half.
However, with a strategic switch-up, freshman guard/forward Emely Rodriguez took the reins following Peterson’s success and made 13 points in the fourth quarter, contributing to an overall total of 21 points. Rodriguez made eight out of her 11 attempted shots, along with securing two rebounds and two assists, while committing three personal fouls.
Peterson continued out strong after passing the torch to Rodriguez, ending the night with 20 points, making eight out of her 20 attempted shots.
