AMES – Redshirt Junior Kenzie Hare made the most of her first career Big 12 game, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired Sunday afternoon to give the No. 10 Cyclones a 79-76 victory over Kansas in the Big 12 opener for both schools.
Iowa State has now won four of its last five Big 12 openers, as the Cyclones ran their winning streak in Hilton Coliseum to 16-straight games. The victory was the 18th in the last 20 games against the Jayhawks in the only scheduled meeting between the two this season.
Crooks was joined in double figures by Addy Brown and Jada Williams, who finished with 16 and 11 points respectively. Williams added 10 assists for her fourth points-assists double-double of the season. S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 29 points.
The Jayhawks weren’t fazed by Iowa State, as Kansas went on a 12-6 run after ISU tied the game 2-2. The Jayhawks led 20-14 after the first quarter, with Crooks tallying 10 of Iowa State’s first 14 points. It was her 79th-straight game in double figures, the longest active streak in the country.
Iowa State looked to open things up in the second quarter, opening the quarter on a 10-1 run to take their first lead with 6:05 to play in the quarter. But the Jayhawks just wouldn’t go away, responding with a 8-0 run to hold on to a 34-32 lead at the half.
The Cyclones were on fire in the third quarter, hitting seven-straight shots at one point and finishing the quarter shooting 77 percent, as the Cyclones took a 59-55 lead into the fourth quarter. Crooks was up to 31 points by the end of the third frame.
It wasn’t until 9:25 to play that the Cyclones hit their first 3-pointer of the game, as Williams connected from the top of the key, giving Iowa State a 62-55 lead. It was the largest lead of the game at the time, as the Cyclones would later push the lead to 70-59 with 6:54 to play. But just like that, Kansas went on a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to 70-69 with 3:16 to play.
The final three minutes were the Crooks and Nichols show, as the two players scored the only points for their respective teams down the stretch until the Hare 3-pointer as time expired. Nichols hit a jumper with :05 left to tie the game before Iowa State called a timeout. Brown drove to the top of the key, but kicked to Hare in the corner to win the game.
Key Performer
While Hare hit the big shot, it was All Crooks All Day. With 41 points, she became the sixth player in program history to surpass 1,800 points in a career. She moved up from eighth in school history to pass Cyclone legends Jayme Olson (1,799) and Tonya Burns (1,789) on the all-time scoring list.
Next Up
Iowa State will have 10 days off for the Holidays before returning to Big 12 play on Dec. 31 at Houston. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
Notes
Iowa State women’s basketball’s all-time record moves to 884-678 (.566) and 346-358 (.491) in conference play.
Fennelly’s career record moves to 813-378 (.683) in his 38-year career and 647-325 (.666) at Iowa State.
Iowa State is 13-0 for the second time in program history. It is the best start to a season since 2013-14, when the Cyclones started 14-0.
With the win, ISU has won four of its last five Big 12 Conference openers.
The Cyclones’ all-time series record against the Jayhawks is now 52-49.
With a game-high 41 points, Audi Crooks extended her double-figure scoring streak to 79 games, the longest active streak in NCAA women’s basketball. It is the longest streak among Big 12 players since Brittney Griner’s 116-game streak.
With her fifth field goal of the day, Crooks passed Bridget Carleton for the fourth-best all-time mark by a Cyclone for made field goals. Crooks has made 728 baskets in her career, including 19 today.
Arianna Jackson picked up her 50th career steal with her second steal of the day.
Alisa Williams pulled down her 150th career rebound with her first board of the day.
Jada Williams finished with her fifth double-double of the season and fourth points-assists double-double with 11 points and 10 dimes.
