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AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team started the season with a roster full of newcomers and the hope that one day down the road, they’d turn into a Big 12 Conference contender with NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Saturday’s game was further proof that the Cyclones are well ahead of schedule.
Iowa State capped off its shocking and successful regular season with a 76-60 win over Cincinnati at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones finish the regular season with an 18-10 record, including a 12-6 mark in Big 12 play.
“We knew what we came here to do and we did it, regardless of what everybody else said,” said Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks. “We had a goal in mind. We had an agenda.”
Those 12 victories are more than the 11 last year’s team, which was expected to compete for a league title, finished with. This year’s squad, leaning on five freshmen along with senior transfer Hannah Belanger, managed to top that.
Now, the Cyclones are almost certainly locks to reach the NCAA Tournament no matter how next week’s Big 12 Tournament pans out. It’s something many outside of Iowa State’s locker room thought the Cyclones couldn’t accomplish this season.
“I don’t think anyone thought, when you looked at our roster and the age of our roster, that people thought Iowa State would be a good shot to get back into the tournament,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.
That’s no longer the case. By beating Cincinnati, one of the worst teams in the league, Iowa State avoided another blemish on its remarkable resume. Avoiding it wasn’t easy since the Bearcats gave the Cyclones plenty of problems in the first half.
Cincy shot 44.8% (19-for-29) from the field in the first two quarters and went into halftime leading 36-29.
Fennelly, worried that his team may be feeling pressure to succeed on senior night, urged his group to take a deep breath. He then focused his game plan on getting the ball to Crooks more. He also got freshman guard Arianna Jackson back in the game to give the Cyclones another ball handler and a strong defensive presence.
It all worked.
More: Emily Ryan to return to Iowa State women’s basketball for another season in 2024-25
The Cyclones opened the third quarter with a 14-0 run. Crooks, who had the first six points of the quarter and eight during the run, capped it off with a layup to give Iowa State a 46-36 lead.
Even when Cincinnati grabbed some momentum, Iowa State pulled it right back. Belanger, who struggled in the first half, rattled in two 3-pointers during an 8-0 run to close out the third quarter. Iowa State finished the quarter outscoring Cincinnati 28-9.
“The third quarter got us going,” Fennelly said.
The Cyclones had no problems from there, pulling away in the fourth quarter to win their fourth-straight game. Crooks finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with just over four minutes to play. Belanger added 17 while Addy Brown chipped in with 10 points and five assists.
The Big 12 Tournament and likely the NCAA Tournament still await the Cyclones. Both will have giant impacts on how this team will be remembered. But Fennelly said they’ve already exceeded expectations.
“I think what this team accomplished was really special and they should be very proud,” Fennelly said.
What a senior day for Belanger
The senior closed out her final regular season with Iowa State in style by pouring in 17 points. Belanger shot just 1-for-6 from the field in the first half and had just three points. But she turned it on in the third quarter.
More: Iowa State women’s basketball was the only major team to give Hannah Belanger a chance
Belanger was instrumental in Iowa State’s monster frame by tallying 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Fennelly anticipated a big turnaround for Belanger when he saw how she reacted after a miss. After locking eyes, Fennelly saw Belanger say “next one.” Fennelly then called the next two plays for Belanger.
“I knew (it was) the last time I was going to play here,” Belanger said. “I didn’t want to end it on not the best note. So I knew I had to pick it up. I felt like I wasn’t playing as hard as I could have. But in the second half, I thought I picked it up. Ending it like I did was just a fun little memory.”
The Cyclones have found a second wind
Iowa State’s season once appeared to be hitting a wall in late January and early February when the Cyclones lost five of six games. But they may be hitting their stride again with four-straight wins to finish the regular season, including an upset at No. 14 Kansas State.
“We’ve grown and I’m just so excited for our postseason run for the Big 12 Tournament,” Crooks said. “I think we’re going to continue to surprise people.”
What’s next? Well, that’s still up in the air
Iowa State likely won’t have any postseason clarity until after No. 17 Baylor’s game with Oklahoma State on Sunday. The Cyclones are likely headed for a four or a five seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament. The most likely scenarios for Iowa State: A loss by Baylor would give Iowa State a four seed. A win by Oklahoma State would give them a five-seed.
Iowa State celebrates Emily Ryan’s return
The Cyclones got some big news when point guard Emily Ryan announced Friday that she would take advantage of the extra season of eligibility awarded by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic and return to Iowa State for another season. Fennelly said Ryan, who announced the news on social media, wanted to get it out of the way so the focus on Saturday’s game could be on Iowa State’s senior class which included Belanger and Nyamer Diew.
Ryan became a fan-favorite for her success, but also after deciding to stay at Iowa State when the team’s roster underwent a giant makeover with five players departing for the transfer portal in the offseason.
“I’ve coached a lot of really good players, a lot of amazing people and I don’t know that there’s been any of them that mean more to Iowa State and to me given all the things that this group’s gone through, than Emily Ryan,” Fennelly said. “It’ll be fun to have her back next year.”
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 [email protected] or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball earns big win over Cincinnati
