AMES, Iowa – The Iowa women’s basketball team cut a 17-point second-half deficit to three, but couldn’t make the critical bucket down the stretch, falling to rival Iowa State, 74-69, Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.

Down four with 13 seconds to go, Iowa senior guard Taylor McCabe missed an open three from the corner, and such was the Hawkeyes’ last grasp at victory. Nevertheless, the squad had several chances beforehand to pull off the road upset. 

Almost every time after Iowa drew within a possession, Iowa State responded with an offensive rebound or drew a foul in the paint to add to its advantage.

Cyclone frontcourt duo Audi Crooks and Addy Brown each notched a double-double, combining for 50 points and 22 rebounds, with Crooks nabbing seven of the offensive variety. Arizona transfer point guard Jada Williams added another double-double for the Cyclones with 11 points and 12 assists. 

The Hawkeyes featured a star point guard as well, as Georgia Tech transfer Chit-Chat Wright contributed a team-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-9 mark from long range. Iowa’s frontcourt attempted to hold its own against Crooks, but foul trouble limited its effectiveness.

Center Ava Heiden, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder heading into the matchup, played just 15 minutes and finished with eight points and two rebounds. 

“We’re just not used to playing without her,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said in her postgame press conference. 

Jensen identified a poor third quarter as a difference-maker in the contest, but maintained an optimistic perspective. 

“There’s gonna be a lot of teams that come in here and have that third quarter, but don’t have a fourth quarter like we had. So I’m really proud,” she said. 

Coming out of halftime tied at 35 apiece, Iowa State scored the first six points off layups from Brown and Williams and a turnaround jumper from Crooks, who finished 13-of-20 from the field. Heiden and Iowa senior forward Hannah Stuelke each picked up a foul during the stretch. McCabe countered with a triple – one of her three on the evening – but Iowa State embarked on a 19-5 run to take a 17-point lead in the waning seconds of the third. 

Heiden picked up her fourth foul with 3:19 remaining in the quarter – a moment Jensen shifted momentum in favor of the home team. Iowa was outscored, 26-13, and shot just 28.6 percent from the floor during the frame. 

“It took a big cog out of our game plan,” Jensen said of Heiden’s foul trouble. 

Trailing by 13 entering the fourth, Iowa began to attack the high post and found success, notching a 10-2 run to make it a five-point contest. 

McCabe said Iowa’s four seniors got together in the huddle between the quarters and told the rest of the team a comeback was difficult, but certainly possible. 

“We were never really out of it, you can’t count us out,” McCabe said. “So that’s pretty special.” 

A Stuelke layup off an assist from a driving Feuerbach made it a one-possession contest, but Crooks scored the next three points. A step-back triple from Wright silenced the crowd, but Crooks reignited the atmosphere with a putback.

Jensen explained the Hawkeyes’ mixed defensive coverages, playing in front of and behind Crooks on the block, but the head coach maintained talent was ultimately the deciding factor. 

“She just has a beautiful touch,” Jensen said of Crooks. “She’s pretty lethal.” 

Poor free-throw shooting on the Cyclones, who shot just 9-of-20, kept the Hawkeyes within striking distance, but they did themselves no favors with a 50 percent mark, including a run of four straight misses in the third quarter. 

“If you could be in my practices, it’s not a stat I have not addressed, I can assure you,” Jensen said. 

The Cyclones dominated inside early, scoring 12 of their first 14 points in the paint. Crooks started the game with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while Wright carried the Hawkeyes offensively. She scored a team-high points in the first quarter, including a triple in transition.

Iowa held the edge on the fast break, highlighted by a Kylie Feuerbach three-pointer to cement a 23-19 lead for the Hawkeyes at the end of the first frame. 

Iowa’s post players did what they could against Crooks. Heiden forced a missed shot on the star third-year, then a jump ball. First-year forward Journey Houston provided efficient minutes off the bench in the second quarter, scoring four points on perfect shooting and grabbing three rebounds, including two of the offensive variety. 

The Cyclones attempted to pull away with a seven-point advantage late in the half off a corner triple from Sydney Harris, but the Hawkeyes answered with a 7-0 scoring run highlighted by Wright’s second three of the night.

Iowa shot 40 percent from distance and 48 percent from the floor in the first half and 43 percent and 37 percent, respectively, in the contest. 

Up Next

Iowa returns home for a matchup against Lindenwood on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The Lions are 7-2 and are on a three-game win streak. Senior guard Aleshia Jones leads the squad in scoring with 15.9 points per game. 

Big Ten Plus will broadcast the upcoming game.