AMES, Iowa — Amidst the roaring crowd of 14,000 and the trademark screaming sirens in Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State star Audi Crooks and her coach Bill Fennelly shared a quiet, personal moment Wednesday night before Crooks went to the free throw line to seal a win over in-state rival Iowa.
With 15 seconds left and the Cyclones up 72-69, Crooks grabbed a rebound after teammate Mackenzie Hare blocked Iowa sharpshooter Taylor McCabe’s potential game-tying 3-point shot. Crooks was fouled by Hannah Stuelke — her fifth foul — and headed to the free throw line.
Crooks and Fennelly have an unspoken bond over the loss of their fathers. Audi’s dad, Jimmie Crooks, died in August 2021 when she was a sophomore in high school, and Fennelly’s dad, William Fennelly, died Dec. 11, 2019 — the day of that season’s Cy-Hawk game.
“This game was really important to me and my family, specifically my dad. My dad and I would always watch this one together,” an emotional Crooks told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “Coach Fenn’s dad passed a few years ago right before this game … so he and I had just kind of talked. And when I was going up to shoot the free throw, he pointed up to the sky and said that he’s watching, and I just couldn’t hold it in. I missed the first one as I couldn’t see.”
She sank the second free throw, putting the Cyclones up by two possessions. Iowa State forward Addy Brown made another free throw in the waning seconds, securing the 74-69 win — the Cyclones’ first win in the Cy-Hawk series since 2021 and only the second in the last decade.
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Fennelly explained the moment he had with Crooks and how the memory of their fathers gives them a sense of calm and inspiration.
“We talk about there’s people looking down on us, and her father was a huge Iowa State fan, and they would talk about this game. And when she went up to the free throw line, I looked at her and (pointed up),” he said in the postgame press conference. “Sometimes those are moments — she’ll remember that a lot. Her father meant a lot to her.”
“As far as basketball is concerned, I coached the game against Iowa the day my father died. We kind of shared that moment,” he added. “Literally at halftime, she looked at me and said, ‘We got two up there, we’re good.’ I said, ‘Make some damn layups and we’ll be good.’ It was cool for her. That free throw basically iced the game and I think it was cool that it was her that did it.’”
High-stakes matchup
Both the Cyclones and Hawkeyes came into Wednesday’s game undefeated and ranked 10 and 11 in the country, respectively. It was the highest both teams had been ranked while facing each other in the rivals’ history dating back to the 1970s.
Although Iowa State had posted an impressive 10-0 record and Crooks was the leading scorer in Division I women’s basketball, the Cyclones’ strength of schedule was No. 308 entering Wednesday’s game and they had yet to face a ranked team this season. Meanwhile, at 9-0, Iowa defeated then-No. 7 Baylor 57-52 on Nov. 19 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Showcase.
The game was also billed as a “battle of the bigs” as Crooks went up against Stuelke and sophomore center Ava Heiden, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week on Nov. 24.
Crooks proved she was up to the competition with a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double, recording her third straight game of 30-plus points on 65% or better shooting. She retained her spot as the top scorer in Division I, now averaging 27.8 points and shooting 72.2% from the field.
Stuelke also grabbed a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds, the most rebounds by an Iowa player against Iowa State since Amanda Ollinger on December 11, 2019. Heiden, who played just 15 minutes due to early foul trouble, was held to eight points and two rebounds before fouling out with 4:18 left in the fourth quarter.
Crooks believes the performance should quiet some of the critics.
“I feel like now we’re officially battle-tested,” she said during the postgame press conference. “You know, people were commenting on our schedule and now there’s not much else to say. When you have three players with double-doubles, you can’t say we’re a one-trick pony. You can’t say our schedule is soft.”
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Two other Cyclones notched double-doubles as Addy Brown had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Jada Williams had 11 points and 12 assists.
Brown said Williams, who transferred to Iowa State from Arizona this season, has provided an extra weapon.
“It just makes us harder to guard. It’s kind of the missing piece that we were missing last year and I think some teams were still able to beat us even when the two of us had a good night,” Brown told reporters after the game. “Coming into this year, Jada has been able to do a lot of good things for us, and everybody, too — the whole team stepping up when we need them to, and our depth is a lot better this year, so it definitely shows.”
Chazadi Wright was Iowa’s highest scorer with 21 points, leading the Hawkeyes from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter, closing the gap to three points before Crooks and Brown iced the game with their free throws.
Atmosphere unmatched
No matter the records coming into the game, the Cy-Hawk series is usually competitive and always high-spirited.
This matchup was no exception as Hilton was primarily filled with red-clad Cyclone fans with smattering of Hawkeye black and gold, including Catilin Clark’s parents, Brent and Anne Clark.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht gave the women’s team a pregame hype speech and cheered in the stands, a welcoming sight for Cyclone fans who have had a rollercoaster week after losing their beloved football coach Matt Campbell to Penn State.
Fennelly acknowledged the fans, crediting them with an extra push to close out the game.
“I want to thank the fans. That was as good of an environment as we’ve had here in a long time,” Fennelly said in his opening statement. “The students were phenomenal. I got here about 3:30 and there were students lined up outside. That means the world to us. That’s as good of a college game I’ve been a part of in a long time. It’s a great showcase for two great programs, our state.”
Iowa head coach Jan Jensen who, like Fennelly, is an Iowa native, also appreciated the fans’ fervor toward their favorite teams.
“I thought this was a really fun in-state game to have [the] 11th-ranked and 10th-ranked [teams],” she told reporters. “I didn’t really know how good we were yet quite honestly coming in here and I knew we would find out a whole lot with this type of environment.”
“That’s just what’s really fun about the history of our state. We’ve long supported women’s basketball,” she added. “A lot of kids in this state love it. They grow up knowing how great it is at all four institutions. And there’s a lot of D-2s and NAIAs that are really good. I think all of us can be really proud of just the support. We have a lot of great coaches in this state. We have some great AAU programs. As an Iowan, I am pretty proud that we’re both ranked right now.”
