AMES—Iowa State’s offense came to play against Sacred Heart University. The Cyclones’ electric energy that filled Hilton Coliseum led them to a 99-34 victory, the most points they have scored in a game this season, adding to their six-game winning streak at the Coliseum.
The Cyclones led with an overwhelming 54 points in the first half, scoring at a 63.9% rate and generating 19 points off turnovers. This helped Iowa State have a smooth sailing second half, adding 41 points to its lead. It finished with a 65.2% scoring rate, holding its lead for 36 minutes, only trailing once in the first minute of the game.
Iowa State totaled 91 points, 52 of them being points in the paint, led by junior center Audi Crooks. She finished in double figures for the 70th straight game with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists in just 22 minutes of action.
Five of the Cyclones finished in double figures, including Crooks, redshirt junior forward Alisa Williams and junior center/forward Lilly Taulelei.
Other leading Cyclones were freshman guard Reese Beaty with 13 points, three rebounds and six assists. Junior forward Addy Brown followed with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Redshirt junior guard Kenzie Hare scored nine points with three rebounds.
Iowa State shot 56% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc, forcing 25 turnovers and scoring 33 points off of them. The total team effort gave Iowa State the upper hand and the ability to pull out a win.
Beaty proved herself on the court with the opportunities she was given. Playing 20 minutes, she created optimal production for the Cyclones, shooting her first career three pointer.
“She wants to be coached hard,” Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly said. “As you saw today, she is going to do a lot of good things.”
In the fourth quarter, many new Cyclones got the opportunity to join in on the fun, as all five were from the bench and totaled 47 points, nearly half of the overall score. The most points Iowa State has scored since 2017 against NC Central, where the team put together 48.
Beaty and Williams are a powerful duo as they scored a combined 27 points from the reserves.
Williams scored a career high of 14 points and 8 rebounds, putting her as one of Iowa State’s top performers.
“Every time I go out there, I try to bring something positive, because I know it contributes to the team,” Williams said.
“I’m super proud of her,” Brown said. “She works extremely hard and is definitely going to help us further down the stretch.”
A major contribution to the Cyclones’ offense and win today was the trust and positive culture they have on their team.
“This team really loves each other on and off the court,” Brown said. “We get the job done first because that’s most important, but we’re going to have fun doing it.”
“When you can celebrate the success of other people, that means you’re a teammate,” Fennelly said.
