AMES, Iowa — Iowa State center Audi Crooks, the leading scorer in Division I women’s basketball, had another huge game Wednesday night as the No. 10 Cyclones stayed undefeated by beating cross-state rival Iowa 74-69 at Hilton Coliseum.
Crooks had 30 points and 10 rebounds and is now averaging 27.8 PPG and shooting 72.2% from the field, which is second in Division 1.
But she was more focused on what this victory said about her team, which won its first game against a ranked opponent while handing the No. 11 Hawkeyes (9-1) their first loss. Crooks’ teammates Addy Brown (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Jada Williams (11 points, 12 assists) also had double-doubles.
“I feel like now we’re officially battle-tested,” Crooks said. “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.
“But, honestly, we’re not concerned with the noise and what everybody has to say online. We’re worried about the mentality in our locker room [and] that we have in practice. I feel that comes with maturity. It’s really easy to get sucked into social media and public opinion … this team, we’re all a little bit older and a little bit wiser.”
That said, coach Bill Fennelly acknowledged the Cyclones (11-0) definitely knew their strength of schedule — at 308 entering Wednesday — was being questioned. Last season, Iowa State lost nonconference games to UConn and South Carolina — who played in the national championship — plus Iowa and Northern Iowa.
Fennelly said he thought those losses cost the Cyclones a lot in public perception. This season, the schedule has not been nearly as difficult.
That’s part of why Wednesday was so important: It was Iowa State’s first statement win of 2025-26.
“[They] were wired up today a little bit more than normal,” Fennelly said. “Some of our players have had to read some things that aren’t real complimentary, and they’re not real happy about it.”
The other big part was that the win came during the Cy-Hawk series, which includes multiple sports at both schools. The No. 4 and undefeated Iowa State men’s basketball team, coming off an upset win at former No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, hosts Iowa in Ames on Thursday.
“I mean, it’s not an accident that I have 203 text messages already,” Fennelly said about beating Iowa, adding that after Sunday’s 105-52 win over Northern Illinois, “I had one from my wife that said, ‘Bring something home for supper.'”
“[They] were wired up today a little bit more than normal. Some of our players have had to read some things that aren’t real complimentary, and they’re not real happy about it.”
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly
The Iowa women dominated the previous 10 years of this matchup, 8-2. That included a 67-58 victory two years ago in Ames when then-senior Caitlin Clark fueled the Hawkeyes with 35 points and crossed the 3,000-point threshold en route to becoming the all-time Division I career scoring leader.
Fennelly said after that game in December 2023 that players like Crooks and Brown, freshmen at the time, would grow from it.
After losing at Iowa 75-69 last season, Crooks and Brown led the way to victory in front of 14,009 fans at home Wednesday.
“It was a great showcase for two great programs in our state,” Fennelly said. “I’m really proud of our team. It’s a win that hopefully we can build on.”