Michael VoepelDec 11, 2025, 12:35 AM ETCloseMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on X
Audi Crooks’ 30-point night leads Iowa State past Iowa (1:56)Audi Crooks delivers 30 points to lead Iowa State to victory in their rivalry matchup vs. Iowa. (1:56)
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State center Audi Crooks, the leading scorer in Division I women’s basketball, had another huge game Wednesday night as the No. 10 Cyclones stayed undefeated by beating cross-state rival Iowa 74-69 at Hilton Coliseum.
Crooks had 30 points and 10 rebounds and is now averaging 27.8 points and shooting 72.2% from the field, which is second in Division I.
“I feel like now we’re officially battle-tested,” Crooks said. “You know, people were commenting on our schedule and now there’s not much else to say. When you have three players with double-doubles, you can’t say we’re a one-trick pony. You can’t say our schedule is soft.
That said, coach Bill Fennelly acknowledged the Cyclones (11-0) definitely knew their strength of schedule — at No. 308 entering Wednesday — was being questioned. Last season, Iowa State lost nonconference games to UConn and South Carolina — the teams that played in the national championship — plus Iowa and Northern Iowa.
Fennelly said he thought those losses cost the Cyclones a lot in public perception. This season, the schedule has not been nearly as difficult.
The other big part was that the win came during the Cy-Hawk series, which includes multiple sports at both schools. The No. 4 and undefeated Iowa State men’s basketball team, coming off an upset win at former No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, hosts Iowa in Ames on Thursday.
The Iowa women dominated the previous 10 years of this matchup, going 8-2. That included a 67-58 victory two years ago in Ames when then-senior Caitlin Clark fueled the Hawkeyes with 35 points and crossed the 3,000-point threshold on her way to becoming the all-time Division I career scoring leader.
Fennelly said after that game in December 2023 that players such as Crooks and Brown, freshmen at the time, would grow from it.
“It was a great showcase for two great programs in our state,” Fennelly said. “I’m really proud of our team. It’s a win that hopefully we can build on.”
Audi Crooks’ 30-point night leads Iowa State past Iowa (1:56)Audi Crooks delivers 30 points to lead Iowa State to victory in their rivalry matchup vs. Iowa. (1:56)
Audi Crooks delivers 30 points to lead Iowa State to victory in their rivalry matchup vs. Iowa. (1:56)
CloseMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on X
That’s part of why Wednesday was so important: It was Iowa State’s first statement win of 2025-26.