Despite 31 from Audi Crooks, Iowa State falters in fourth vs. Iowa

Iowa State drops 75-69 decision to in-state rival Iowa in ranked battle

Audi Crooks had a big night with 31 points for Iowa State, but the Cyclones fell to Iowa Wednesday night. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Audi Crooks scored a game-high 31 points but the No. 18 Iowa State women were outscored by nine in the fourth, falling Wednesday night to in-state rival Iowa, 75-69.

The No. 21 Hawkeyes (9-1) outscored the Cyclones in the final 10 minutes, 22-13, erasing a three-point deficit. 

HAWKEYE STATE. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/8ZmHOomZxo

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 12, 2024

Crooks, a sophomore, was 14-for-22 from the field but missed seven of her 10 free throw attempts. As a team, Iowa State (8-3) was 6-for-16 at the charity stripe compared to a 15 of 25 performance by Iowa.

Related: The third-ranked Iowa State men take on Iowa Thursday night

Crooks also had 10 rebounds to lead the team.

Addy Brown added 13 points but the rest of the Cyclones scored just a combined 25. Emily Ryan had nine points with seven assists and four rebounds. 

ADDY IS ON FIRE 🔥🔥#NCAAWBB x @CycloneWBB pic.twitter.com/uTbfU1juhR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) December 12, 2024

For the Hawkeyes, Lucy Olsen scored 25, Sydney Affolter had 16 and Hannah Stuelke added 13 with nine rebounds.

The Cyclones also committed 21 turnovers, which the Hawkeyes converted into 24 points. Iowa also had a plus-7 edge in fast break points and recorded 12 steals with seven blocks. 

Iowa State hosts Eastern Illinois on Sunday before turning its attention to second-ranked Connecticut on Tuesday, Dec. 17. They close out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference opener.