STORRS, Conn. — The 2025-26 Iowa State women’s basketball season began with high hopes. The Cyclones were expected to make a run at a conference crown and do some damage in March.
The team couldn’t live up to the lofty expectations.
The 8-seed Cyclones saw their season end March 21 with a 72-63 loss to 9-seed Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
“Our season was up and down and when you talk about roller-coasters, that was us,” said Iowa State center Audi Crooks. “The lows were low but the highs were high and we stuck together through it all.”
There were certainly highs with Iowa State matching the program record for the best start. But there were plenty of lows in a season that finished with Iowa State going 22-10 and getting bounced from the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
This year was supposed to be different with the Cyclones bringing back Crooks and Addy Brown while adding point guard Jada Williams from the transfer portal. It ended up being much of the same for Iowa State, struggling through Big 12 Conference play after injuries to Brown and Arianna Jackson.
The hope was that with the roster back to full strength, the Cyclones could make a run in March. The outlook changed after Syracuse outscored Iowa State 30-12 in the second quarter.
Iowa State went into halftime trailing 41-26. The Cyclones couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively, shooting 38.8% for the game and 13.6% from 3-point range. Iowa State cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter, but Syracuse held on and will face 1-seed UConn on Monday.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” Jackson said.
41.% … Syracuse’s shooting percentage for the game
Iowa State simply couldn’t keep up the Orange. After a little bit of a slow start, Syracuse got it going with a huge second quarter. The Orange finished the half shooting 17-for-35 from the field including 7-of-16 from 3-point range. Syracuse didn’t miss a beat even with starting point guard Dominique Darius hurt. Four players scored in double figures for the Orange. The team connected on 28-of-68 shots on the night including 9-of-25 from beyond the arc.
“They made shots and we didn’t,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. “I know that’s not earth-shattering analysis, but that’s the game.”
37 … points for Audi Crooks
March seems to bring out the best in Iowa State’s star. Crooks poured in 40 points during a win over Maryland in the first round of the 2024 tournament. She was one of the few bright spots offensively for Iowa State on Saturday. With the Cyclones not getting much from their shooting from beyond the arc (3-of-22), they turned to Crooks, who delivered time and time again. Crooks connected on 17-for-25 shots from the field and finished with 37 points.
“It was kind of reminiscent of the Maryland game where we were down at the half and needed to come back,” Crooks said. “Eventually, we figured out that we could lob the ball in there and we were able to get some good passes in.”
3 … 3-pointers for Iowa State
So much of Iowa State’s success has been predicated on shooting well from beyond the arc. The problem is, the Cyclones have been inconsistent from there. Saturday was not a good day, with Iowa State shooting just 13.6% (3-for-22) from 3-point range. Iowa State had just one 3-pointer in the first half. Meanwhile, Syracuse drained deep shot after deep shot, making nine 3-pointers on 25 attempts.
“I think we all got the looks we wanted to get,” Brown said. “We all prepared coming into this. We got up extra shots. We did everything we could to feel confident about shooting coming into this game. So, I’m not leaving here with any regrets. We did what we could and sometimes it just doesn’t fall.”
30 … points for Syracuse in the second quarter
Iowa State finished the first quarter with a 6-0 run that put the Cyclones ahead by three heading into the second quarter. The momentum didn’t last. Syracuse used a 13-0 run to take control. The Orange connected on 66.7% (12-of-18) of their shots from the field including 75% (6-of-8) from 3-point range. Iowa State was without Crooks for part of the quarter as she sat on the bench with two fouls. When it was all said and done, Syracuse outscored Iowa State 30-12 in the frame. The Cyclones stumbled into halftime trailing 41-26.
“They caught fire,” said Iowa State point guard Jada Williams. “They were finding an open person every single possession and they found holes in our defense. I think if the second quarter goes different, the game goes different.”
23 … points for Syracuse freshman phenom Uche Izoje
For Saturday’s showdown, all eyes were focused on the matchup in the post. Crooks, one of the best centers in the country, squared off with Syracuse’s Uche Izoje, the ACC Rookie of the Year. Izoje entered the game averaging 15.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 55.6% from the field. She was a handful for Crooks, often stepping away from the hoop and knocking down contested mid-range jumpers. Izoje, who had 16 points by halftime on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, finished the night with 23 points.
“She was fun,” Crooks said. “She was a fun matchup. She kind of reminded me of, she’s got this Larry Bird style jumper and I felt like if I had taken another step forward, I was going to foul her and she’d be on the floor.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 key numbers from Iowa State women’s basketball season-ending loss to Syracuse
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
