Iowa State Women lose to Drake

Iowa State Women lose to Drake
November 12th, 2023 | cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) fell to Drake (3-0, 0-0 MVC) Sunday by a score of 85-73 after the Cyclones couldn’t pull off the second-half comeback.

Drake did not allow an Iowa State field goal in the second quarter but ISU went on to outscore the Bulldogs 27-14 while shooting at 64.7 percent in the third to get right back in it. Iowa State took a lead in the final quarter but Drake closed the game on a 18-6 run to take the win.

Audi Crooks had both her first-career double figure and 20-plus point performance leading the Cyclones with 23 in 18 minutes. Hannah Belanger totaled 11 points with eight coming in the third quarter, including three 3-points on six attempts.

How it Happened

The contest opened scoreless for the first two minutes of play before the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-2 advantage. Crooks was then fouled and knocked down both of her free throws to halt the run midway through the first. With Drake ahead at 14-8, shots by Nyamer Diew and Jalynn Bristow then brought ISU within two with 2:44 to go. With eight seconds left, Crooks converted the layup to total eight points and tie things 16-16.

Drake set out on a scoring spree in the second, outscoring the Cyclones 24-2 to stretch a lead of 38-18. Crooks would end the run with her fourth made free throw to enter double figures as the first half drew to a close with the Bulldogs up 38-20. Iowa State committed seven turnovers while Drake shot at nearly 50 percent in the quarter.

Addy Brown opened second half scoring with a 3-pointer, while Belanger made for two straight to trim Drake’s lead to 12 at 38-26. Kelsey Joens and Belanger would sink two more from deep, coming within nine points of the lead with six minutes on the clock. Bristow would then make layups on back-to-back Cyclone possessions to make the score 47-40. The lead was then cut to two after a Diew triple, the fifth of the frame. Heading into the final quarter, Drake held a five-point edge of 52-47.

Belanger sent in her third triple, while Crooks delivered with the layup to knot it up at 52. Another tie was seen at 57 after Crooks made her sixth free throw on eight attempts. The game continued to be a battle, while ISU got their first lead (67-65) since the first quarter following a 3-pointer by Brown and a layup by Isnelle Natabou. At 4:11, Drake hit two straight from beyond the arc, and would go on to hold the lead from there as the Bulldogs sealed the victory

Top Performance

Freshman Audi Crooks led the Cyclones with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and making 9-of-12 free throws. Crooks also had one defensive and two offensive rebounds.  

Up Next

Iowa State will return home Monday, Nov. 20 to host Southern. Action inside Hilton Coliseum begins at 6:30 p.m.

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