(Ames) No. 8 Iowa State (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) handed St. Thomas (3-1, 0-0 Summit) its first season loss by a final score of 80-47 Thursday night. Iowa State commanded the game from start to finish to top the Tommies by 33 and move to 4-0.
Emily Ryan was magnificent as the floor general dished out 13 assists to tie the 11th-highest single-game total in program history. Seven of the top 21 game totals now belong to Ryan, who holds the top two program totals with 17 and 16.
Audi Crooks was her usual self, scoring 26 for the 18th 20-plus game of her young career and first of the season. Crooks also led the game with eight rebounds, all defensive. Addy Brown scored ten on 5-of-6 shooting, while Sydney Harris was the third in double figures with 13 points.
Brown and Crooks put the Cyclones up 8-2, making four of their first five shots as St. Thomas called the early timeout at 6:23. Out of the timeout, Kenzie Hare stole the ball and proceeded to drain a 3 as Iowa State continued to roll. Midway through the first, Brown sparked a 9-0 run as ISU found a 20-4 lead. After the first 15 minutes, Iowa State led 22-10.
St. Thomas trimmed its deficit down to nine (25-16) at the media timeout, but Iowa State went back up by 13 after Alisa Williams and Ryan made baskets off turnovers with just under four minutes left in the half. Freshman Aili Tanke drained ISU’s third triple with 1:25 on the clock, while Crooks made two layups to end the half with a 40-22 lead.
Iowa State took an 8-0 run to reach 50 points while the Tommies held 24 with the clock at 6:32. ISU’s lead reached 28 after a deep shot by Harris, while Audi Crooks followed to take her point total to 20 on a layup at the four-minute mark. Heading into the final quarter, the Cyclones led 66-38.
First-year Cyclone Hare sent in her second 3-pointer with 4:21 left to play, while Harris sunk another at 1:17. ISU went on to win it 80-47, ending the game on a run of six.
Emily Ryan notched her 20th career game with ten or more assists with her season-high 13. The guard now totals seven career games with 13 or more. Ryan had nine assists in the first half, committing just one turnover through the two quarters.
Audi Crooks led the game in points and rebounds with 26 points at 71 percent shooting and eight rebounds. The sophomore extended her streak to 35 games with double-digit points.
No. 8 Iowa State will next play UNI on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The in-state matchup begins at 6 p.m.
(Article courtesy of Iowa State University)
