After clinching their 11th win over the Hawkeyes, the No. 10 Cyclones reset to face the final in-state opponent. Iowa State’s 81-53 victory over Northern Iowa allowed the team to remain undefeated and earn the title of in-state tournament champions. 

Connecting without Crooks 

The Cyclones opened their contest without one key component: Junior center Audi Crooks. With the shaken-up starting five, Iowa State looked to face a threat.

With a score of 20-15 in favor of the Cyclones after the first quarter, a breakthrough moment would need to take place to keep the Panthers at bay. 

Throughout the season, Iowa State has developed an all-around offensive powerhouse squad, and the absence of Crooks displayed the opportunity for the Cyclones to prove their dominance.

 Iowa State would go on an 11-0 stint halfway through the second quarter to establish a stable lead. Northern Iowa would enter a scoreless stint to further push the lead.

As the half wound down, the Cyclones’ offensive drive continued to thrive as the half closed out with a 48-26 score in favor of the home team.

Heading into the second half, both teams reset and returned ready to light up their respective nets.

The Panthers put up 27 points to attempt to reestablish themselves in this in-state rivalry. Freshman guard Abby Tuttle led the team with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in the second half.

Iowa State dropped 33 points in the half to close out nonconference play with its 12th victory. Leading the second half scoring was junior forward Addy Brown, who had seven points and four rebounds in the half.

Without Crooks, the Cyclones proved to be a dominant team and displayed a squad ready to step up when a key player is absent. 

“We prepped all week thinking they were going to have her [Crooks] in the game,” Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren said. “They’re on a mission; you can tell they’re driven and playing with a purpose.”

Threes thrive as paint points plummet

The key to Iowa State’s victory came down to creating scoring opportunities when its star post player is absent. With a majority of the Cyclones’ scoring coming from in the paint, a display of threes pushed the team past the Panthers with ease.

While Iowa State incorporated more threes, Northern Iowa focused on points in the paint, which would ultimately cost the game. As the Panthers focused on their in-paint strategy, it was no match for the Cyclones’ defense, as the team held them to a 33% field goal percentage as the game concluded. 

Iowa State dropped 12 threes and 30 points in the paint. This shifty offense displayed a version of the team that looks to develop a dangerous offense as conference play approaches.

With the shift in offense, different players found themselves contributing to the game more than they normally did. As Crooks was missing, filling that role became simply an inspiration for junior forward Alisa Williams as she focused on sticking to her game.

“Just knowing I need to be myself, I don’t have to be anybody else,” Williams said. “I’m confident when I go out there, my teammates, my coaches give me confidence.”

With a stable Cyclones offense, the Panthers attempted a redemption late in the half, going on a 7-0 scoring run, but nothing materialized to secure a victory.

An offensive highlight for both teams came down to free throws, as Iowa State went 9-for-10 and Northern Iowa went 11-for-13.

Balling with Brown

Between getting revenge from the last matchup against the Panthers and attempting to cover parts of Crooks’ absence, Brown came into this game ready to battle.

During Brown’s 28 minutes of playing time, she found herself dropping 28 points, 12 rebounds and three assists to earn yet another double-double. 

With this standout performance, Brown had something to prove. Prior to the game, Brown used Northern Iowa’s shock at Crooks’ absence to show the team that this game would still be a battle.

“I just saw a lot of smiles, and I was like, okay, I think we gave them hope,” Brown said. “I was gonna make sure that we took that away.” 

Brown’s ability to come up in big moments goes back to competitive drive, and this in-state game proved her commitment to this victory. With constant stellar moments throughout the game, Brown focused on showing Northern Iowa how dangerous Iowa State’s team can be.

“No one’s gonna feel sorry for us because Audi’s [Crooks] not playing,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “When the game is the way it is, Addy Brown needs to be that person and she was today.”