Iowa State women's basketball team advances to Big 12 title game with win over Oklahoma
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State freshman Addy Brown dribbled around the top of the key as the seconds ticked down near the end of the first half Monday against Oklahoma. Brown found an open shot and unleashed a long 3-pointer.
The Cyclones forward kept her hand skyward long after the ball swished through the net, then pushed it up a little higher to pump up the crowd and ignite the frenzied Iowa State fan base as the Cyclones rolled into halftime with a 14-point lead.
“It was big for our momentum, just to feel that energy from 'Hilton South' going into halftime,” Brown said. “We were all pretty tired coming into halftime. That kind of lifted us up and got us ready for the second half.”
The big bucket epitomized how the entire day went for Iowa State. The No. 4-seeded Cyclones led early, rolled into halftime with a huge lead and never let up as they dominated top seed Oklahoma 85-68 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center.
“I was really fired up,” Brown said.
And for good reason. The victory was the sixth straight for the Cyclones, who improved to 20-10. After winning last season’s tournament, they advanced to Tuesday’s title game for the second straight season. Iowa State will face Texas at 8 p.m. (ESPN2).
“They caught us on a bad day for them and a great day for us,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said.
After surviving a close call with Baylor in the quarterfinals on Saturday, the Cyclones had no trouble with Oklahoma. It was a stark contrast from the last time the teams faced on Feb. 10 when the Sooners rolled by Iowa State in Ames.
Iowa State struggled to get going offensively that night and seemingly couldn’t get a defensive stop. The Cyclones found ways to do both during Monday’s rematch. Freshman Audi Crooks scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Iowa State. Brown added 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Iowa State point guard Emily Ryan nearly had a triple-double, scoring 12 points, handing out 10 assists and tallying six rebounds for the Cyclones, who shot 58% (33-for-57) from the field including 52% (12-for-23) from 3-point range.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going until it was too late.
The Sooners entered the game averaging 77.1 points per game but shot just 36% (26-for-72) from the field and inched close to that point total only because of a barrage of scoring late in the game when Iowa State had already iced the victory.
“From top to bottom, everything was better,” Ryan said of the rematch with Oklahoma. “From the way we came out and executed offensively and defensively, you can go down the list."
Iowa State set the tone early on. Crooks hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key, highlighting a string of five straight makes for the Cyclones. Iowa State went on a 15-0 run and built a 17-5 lead.
The Cyclones didn’t slow down in the second quarter. Back-to-back layups by Crooks pushed Iowa State’s lead to 12. Then Brown swished the 3-pointer with five seconds remaining to give Iowa State even more momentum and a 38-24 lead heading into the locker room.
“It was a huge 3,” Ryan said.
Iowa State rolled from there. A 9-0 run gave the Cyclones a 39-26 lead in the third quarter. The only Oklahoma momentum came in the fourth quarter after the game was decided. Even a second-half press by Oklahoma, a move that rattled Iowa State against Baylor in the quarterfinals, couldn’t slow down the Cyclones.
Fennelly credited his team’s offense for helping slow down Oklahoma’s scoring.
“We never had extended periods of time where they were scoring and we weren’t,” Fennelly said. “So the scoring runs we were worried about really didn’t happen (Monday) like it did at our place when we played them.”
Former Waterloo West High School standout Sahara Williams scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Sooners.
“I thought Iowa State was phenomenal and we were not,” said Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk.
The Cyclones have surprised Big 12 women's basketball observers all season, all the way to the Big 12 title game. This time, it’s with a rotation full of fresh faces, including five freshmen and transfers Isnelle Natabou and Hannah Belanger, both of whom had big contributions Monday.
“It’s just super special to experience it last year and now kind of getting to experience through the freshmen’s lens,” Ryan said. “They’re going through it for the first time and it’s super special to experience it through the eyes of them.”
Iowa State’s bench provided some big-time minutes
The Cyclones got meaningful minutes from everyone who played. Fennelly used nine players and all of them scored. Natabou, who played nearly nine minutes and gave Crooks some chances to rest amid some foul trouble, tallied six points. Freshman Kelsey Joens knocked down a 3-pointer in Iowa State’s first big run of the game and finished with eight points and three rebounds. Freshman Jalynn Bristow had a 3-pointer of her own and finished with four points.
“Our bench was tremendous,” Fennelly said.
More: Iowa State women's basketball's Bill Fennelly saw record-breaking potential in Emily Ryan
Iowa State's freshmen ready for the big stage
It has been a season full of firsts for Iowa State's five freshmen. The group has been instrumental in the team's success. Now they have another first: Their first time on a big stage at the championship game of the tournament. Ryan, the leader of the Cyclones, thinks they'll be ready.
"They've embraced every single challenge really well so I have no doubt they're going to do the same (Tuesday)," Ryan said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: ISU women's basketball team beats Oklahoma, moves to Big 12 final
