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Audi Crooks continues unprecedented pace in Iowa State's win
Iowa State Cyclones Audi Crooks (55) celebrates in their game with the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Audi Crooks continues unprecedented pace in No. 10 Iowa State's win over No. 11 Iowa

The 10th-ranked Iowa State women held off a rally from No. 11 Iowa in a 74-69 win in the latest installment of the in-state rivalry on Wednesday night.

The Cyclones, who led by as many as 17, shot 53% from the floor and scored 40 of their 74 points in the paint, most of which was due to the efficient and historic play from center Audi Crooks.

Crooks had 30 points (13-of-20 FG) and 10 rebounds, recording her 50th 20-point performance in just 79 games and her fifth career 30-point, 10-rebound game, which only trails former Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley (six) and USC's JuJu Watkins (seven) for the most in Division-I since the start of the 2023-24 season.

Audi Crooks dominates again in Iowa State's rivalry win

Crooks had 14 points in 15 minutes of game action and has now scored 10 or more points in 78 straight games, which is the longest active streak in D-I.

This feed from forward Addy Brown to Crooks resulted in two easy points for Iowa State and put the Cyclones up five with under four minutes to play.

While Brown (20 points, 12 rebounds) had a double-double herself, Crooks stole the show once again. She has scored at least 30 points in each of her last three games and 40 or more twice, including a season-high and program-record 47 points in a win over Indiana on Nov. 30. Her other 40-point performance — a 43-point outing against Valparaiso on Nov. 12 — came in just 20 minutes.

She is the nation's leading scorer (27.6 PPG) and has the best field-goal percentage in the country (73.2%). Since her freshman season in 2023-24, Crooks has improved in points per game, assists and field-goal percentage and proven to be a matchup nightmare for any team she faces.

Crooks has simply been unstoppable in Iowa State's 11 games this season, averaging more than a point per minute in the process. Wednesday's win also happened to be the first time since 2021 that Iowa State defeated its in-state rival, so that only made the latest impressive performance from Crooks that much sweeter.

To be fair, the win over Iowa is Iowa State's first over a ranked opponent this season. While there have not been many challenges in front of the Cyclones yet, Crooks' efficiency has been key to the 11-0 start and has proven to be difficult to contain, regardless of the opponent.

She had three fouls in the game on Wednesday night, so perhaps getting her into foul trouble could go a long way to slowing her down. Unfortunately for opposing teams, she has not fouled out all season and has only accumulated four fouls once. In her three seasons at Iowa State, Crooks has only fouled out of a game three times.

That is not a good sign for whoever has the tall task of defending her. If Crooks stays on this unprecedented pace throughout the season, it will be difficult to slow the Cyclones down and find an answer for the junior who keeps having her way in the paint.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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