SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Iowa State women’s basketball team’s season began with high hopes and huge expectations. It ended in disappointment for the Cyclones.
Iowa State’s once-promising season came to an early end Friday when the Cyclones were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 11-seed Cyclones fell, 80-74, to 6-seed Michigan at Purcell Pavilion.
“Just super proud for us sticking through it through the good and the bad,” said Iowa State’s Addy Brown. “A lot of resiliency this season and people had a lot to say. We stuck together through it and I love these girls.”
Audi Crooks scored 28 points in the loss as Iowa State wrapped up the season with a 23-12 record. Brown added eight points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
It was far from the outcome Iowa State players had hoped for. The Cyclones were one of the surprise teams in the country a year ago, as their freshman class propelled them to the Big 12 Conference Tournament title game and the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
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With the bulk of the roster returning, including Crooks, last season’s leading scorer, the Cyclones were expected to do even bigger things this season. Iowa State was picked to finish second in the Big 12 and entered the year as a top-10 team in both major polls.
But things didn’t go according to plan as the team struggled early in the season, especially against ranked opponents, and could never get into much of a rhythm. Iowa State fell out of both polls and finished seventh in the Big 12.
The Cyclones then had to sweat out Selection Sunday. They eventually heard their name called in one of the First Four games of the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State kicked it off by bouncing back from a 13-point deficit and beating 11-seed Princeton on Wednesday night. But the Cyclones couldn’t keep the magic going, letting a 10-point lead in the third quarter disappear before losing Friday to Michigan.
“I’m not going to harp on that too much, the what we would’ve, could’ve, should’ve done, because that’s over,” Crooks said. “That’s not going to help us in any way, shape or form.”
Iowa State had a shot vs. Michigan, battling back from some early struggles that included seven turnovers in the first frame and the Cyclones falling behind 19-13.
The Cyclones eventually heated up, though.
A 6-0 run by Iowa State midway through the second quarter gave the Cyclones their first lead of the day. Brown’s layup put the Cyclones ahead, 27-26. It didn’t last long with Michigan reclaiming the lead on a 3-pointer.
But Iowa State answered back in a big way. The Cyclones hit four straight shots and went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-29 lead. Crooks had five points in the run. Freshman Aili Tanke, a seldom-used reserve lately, connected on a big 3-pointer.
More: Audi Crooks dominates in first half of Iowa State women’s basketball vs Michigan game
Michigan quickly got back into the game in the third quarter, hitting back-to-back 3s and going on an 8-0 run to pull within two. The Cyclones responded with a 3-pointer by Emily Ryan and an easy layup by Alisa Williams.
“It’s a game of runs,” Crooks said. “Sometimes it ends in your favor. Sometimes it doesn’t.”
The Wolverines hit three 3-pointers in an 11-3 run late in the third quarter to cut Iowa State’s lead to 54-53. The Cyclones got a last-second bucket from Ryan to give Iowa State a three-point lead going into the fourth.
It wasn’t enough. Michigan scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and took a 58-56 lead on a layup by Mila Holloway. The Wolverines nearly pulled away with an 8-2 run that put the Cyclones behind by seven.
Iowa State stayed within striking distance after back-to-back 3-pointers by Sydney Harris and Arianna Jackson. But Michigan heated up from beyond the arc, connecting on three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish off the Cyclones.
“I think when you play a game in this tournament or any game, especially this tournament and you’re playing a really good team, we tell our team, let’s get to the fourth quarter and have a chance to win,” Fennelly said. “That’s what you want. And we did.”
Iowa State didn’t have enough for one final run. The Cyclones missed four of their last five shots, ending their lost shot at an upset. Iowa State committed 16 turnovers in the loss, including 12 on Michigan steals.
While the season ended in disappointment, Fennelly believes there were plenty of positives for his Cyclones.
“My evaluation is obviously going to be very different than most people,” Fennelly said. “But I thought our team did everything right.”
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
