It had all the makings of a college basketball classic: Two undefeated in-state rivals ranked in the top 15 set to clash before a raucous crowd with bragging rights on the line.
Those elements and other superlatives fell into place on Wednesday night as No. 11 Iowa hit the road to take on No.10 Iowa State in the Jimmy V Classic/Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series at Hilton Coliseum. From the jump, both sides were ready for battle, with neither budging. The matchup in the paint is what everyone was looking at,
as Hawkeye sophomore Ava Heiden had to go up against Cyclone junior Audi Crooks, one of the nation’s top scorers.
As expected, the Cyclones were giving the ball to Crooks inside, who would lay it up off the glass with relative ease. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes had to do their dirty work on the perimeter, and it was Chit-Chat Wright that led the way as she took it upon herself to score from all spots on the floor.
After the first half, the game was tied at 35.
In the third quarter, the Cyclones took over and jumped out to a 6-0 run. Crooks, alongside Addy Brown and Jada Williams, were virtually lights out as they managed to extend the Cyclone lead to 17 points.
Things seemed bleak for the Hawkeyes, but they managed to claw their way back and eventually found themselves trailing by three points with under five minutes remaining in the game.However, Heiden and Hannah Stuelke eventually fouled out of the game, thus leaving the Hawkeyes vulnerable in the paint.
In the final moments of the game, fouls would put Crooks at the line, and she hit big free throws to eventually seal the 74-69 outcome in favor of Iowa State.
In the end, the Cyclones captured their first win over the Hawkeyes since 2021. Crooks finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Brown had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Williams had 11 points and five rebounds.
For the Hawkeyes, Wright finished with a career high of 21 points, with four 3-pointers and four assists. Even though she fouled out, Stuelke finished with a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds. Heiden came away with eight points and two rebounds. Taylor McCabe had 11 points and five rebounds. Kylie Feuerbach had 10 points and three assists.
Afterward, Wright spoke about growing confidence in her ability to lead, even in defeat. “With every game, I see myself growing in leadership roles,” she said. “Talking more, encouraging my teammates, critiquing or just encouraging. Everyday I see that come and find myself taking charge.
Also, Jan Jensen took pleasure in the fact that the game was a good one and gave credit to Iowa State. “That’s a great team,” Jensen said. “Wish we would have won yeah, but man I have the upmost respect for Iowa State and this was a great game. Sometimes you get to be the victors out of it, sometimes you come up a little bit short.”
