AMES – The notebook is gone. Addy Brown is back.
After an 11-game hiatus due to injury, the junior forward made her return Wednesday night, when the Iowa State women’s basketball team hosted Arizona State (21-7, 8-7 Big 12) in a heated conference matchup.
Her infectious energy was key in the Cyclones’ (21-6, 9-6 Big 12) complete annihilation of the Sun Devils, 90-64.
“She is a really good basketball player,” Arizona State head coach Molly Miller said. “She changes the dynamic of the game.”
Brown hinted at her return earlier in the day via a post on X and treated fans to a pleasant surprise with her return.
Hilton showed her a lot of love in the pre-game intros.
“It means a lot, I really missed being out there,” Brown said. “[Iowa State] is the best fans and it was a special moment for me.
Brown wasted no time making up for her absence, racking up two points, two rebounds and two assists in the first quarter alone.
Junior guard Jada Williams put the first shot of the game in on a handoff assist from Brown.
“Actually [Brown and Williams] basically put the play in yesterday in practice,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said.
“The plan tonight was 20 minutes, max,” Fennelly said. “Obviously, our goal will be to increase her minutes.”
What did getting that news feel like?
“Probably my grandkids at Christmas time,” Fennelly said. “Having her here changes our team dramatically. We’re better with her in the game.”
Although her time on Wednesday was brief, she made the most of it, ending with six points, six rebounds and six assists.
45 seconds into the second quarter, Brown hit a no-look pass to junior guard Arianna Jackson for a corner three, stretching the Cyclones’ lead to six, 24-18, and giving fans something to cheer about.
However, Brown wasn’t the only star in Wednesday’s show. Coming into the second half with a 42-32 lead, Iowa State exploded for 27 points and they did it all without Brown.
But her energy was still there, even on the bench.
“[Without Addy Brown] players that we might not have expected to have super high minutes or key roles had to step into roles when they weren’t necessarily ready to,” junior center Audi Crooks said. “But now, when she’s back and those players are further developed, that makes us an even deeper and more skilled team.”
Crooks established a dominant presence in the paint, adding 12 of her 28 points in the third. The Cyclones never looked back, stretching the lead to as much as 33 with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Brown made one more appearance in the fourth quarter, adding four points and two rebounds before exiting the game to yet another standing ovation from the crowd.
Williams had herself another solid game, finishing with 28 points and eight assists, going 4-for-7 from the 3-point line.
Iowa State now looks ahead to its third game of this five-game finale to the regular season, when it goes on the road to face off against No. 12-ranked TCU on Sunday.
