BOULDER, Colo. – No. 19 Iowa State (14-4, 2-4 Big 12) dropped the road matchup at Colorado (12-6, 3-3 Big 12) by a final of 68-62 Wednesday night.
It was a tight game through three quarters, but a fourth quarter push by the home team sealed the game in its favor. Audi Crooks had her eighth double-double this season with 17 points and 15 rebounds, scoring in double figures for the 84th-straight game. Sydney Harris scored a season-high 16 points, with 12 made on 3-pointers.
After Colorado went up by four to start, Jada Williams sparked a run with a triple while Crooks and Harris buckets came next bringing the scoring spree to eight straight. With the score at 8-6 at the first media timeout, both teams were held scoreless for three minutes before Williams sent in her second 3. At the end of the frame Harris delivered another triple but Colorado answered with a buzzer-beating three, making the score 16-13 after one.
The Cyclones’ fifth 3-pointer came by Kenzie Hare to put the first points of the quarter on the board, and again Colorado responded with a 3 of its own to keep things within three. The deep shots continued to rain down as Harris put in her third on as many shots, making it 22-16 at the 6:36 mark. A Reese Beaty triple stretched a run to nine (28-16) and caused a Buffalo timeout with four minutes to play, but Colorado set on its way to bring it back to a four-point game at halftime at 29-25.
The host knotted the score 90 seconds into the third, and one minute of play later Harris made her fourth triple. Colorado then took a brief lead of 34-33, but Williams hit a jumper to retake possession of the advantage. An additional tie followed at 37s as the clock read 3:13, and the Buffs flipped the lead while holding ISU scoreless for over three minutes. Beaty provided another lead change with back-to-back buckets, but Colorado made the final shot of the quarter to tie it 42-42.
ISU called a timeout with 7:43 remaining in the contest following Colorado scoring a string of six points. Right out of the timeout Hare fired off Iowa State’s 10th 3-pointer to make it 48-45, and soon after Aili Tanke sunk a crucial 3 to knot the score at 50s. Colorado found its largest lead of the game at 1:30 going up 60-53 following back-to-back deep shots, and Crooks stopped the run with a layup but Colorado hit yet another 3 to build on that lead. Colorado kept control, winning the game 68-62.
Up Next
Iowa State next heads to Oklahoma State Sunday, Jan. 18. The game tips at noon and will be televised on FOX.
Notes
Iowa State women’s basketball’s all-time record moves to 885-682 (.565) and 347-362 (.489) in conference play.
Fennelly’s career record moves to 814-382 (.681) in his 38-year career and 648-329 (.663) at Iowa State.
With 17 points tonight, Audi Crooks extended her double-figure scoring streak to 84 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 a game-high 15 rebounds, Crooks finished with her eighth double-double of the season. She has posted 26 double-doubles in her career.
Crooks’ 15 rebounds marked a season high and were just one off her career high (16 at West Virginia, Jan. 27, 2024).
Alisa Williams pulled down her 150th rebound as a Cyclone with her second board of the night.
Jada Williams made her 100th career 3-pointer with her second triple of the night.
Reagan Wilson made her first start of the season and third of her career.
