Iowa State's Fennelly earns historic victory in women's First Four

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly congratulates Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State HC Bill Fennelly earns historic victory in women's First Four

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 9:45 PM ET

Wednesday's First Four victory over Princeton was a big win for the Iowa State women's basketball program for quite a few reasons.

First and foremost, the 68-63 win kept its March Madness hopes alive. Facing Princeton in the First Four of the women's NCAA Tournament from South Bend, Indiana, the lady Cyclones were fighting for the chance to move on as the No. 11 seed to the first round against sixth-seeded Michigan on Friday.

Not only did the Cyclones move on, but they did so in historic fashion. Head coach Bill Fennelly has been with the program since 1995. He's a legend in the game, and the win over Princeton made that statement even more true. The win was the 800th of his career.

800.

With tonight’s victory, Bill Fennelly earns the 800th of his career!

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— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) March 20, 2025

The Cyclones were led by center Audi Crooks and forward Addy Brown, who combined for 49 total points. Crooks scored 27 while Brown scored 22 with eight assists and seven rebounds.

Senior guard Emily Ryan also had a nice night with nine points and six assists. It was a historic night for her, too.

With her sixth dime of the night, Emily Ryan becomes the Big 12 all-time leader for assists!

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— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) March 20, 2025