I’m not going to have a voice after this week at Hilton. Shucks.
In one of the tightest games of the season, the Cyclones beat Kansas State 76-72 in a thriller. Jada Williams and Audi Crooks led the way with 22 and 20 points respectively, while Taryn Sides netted 23 points for the Wildcats. With three of the four quarters being very close, an 18-10 second quarter advantage for Iowa State is ultimately what propelled them to victory.
Iowa State relied on their stars down the stretch, and both rose to the occasion. Jada Williams scored 18 points in the second half and Audi scored twelve, proving once more that when they enter crunch time they can still deliver. Jada Williams provided nine assists and Audi tallied nine rebounds, so while both were just short of double-doubles, it is very clear what the impact of both players have on the offense.
Elsewhere in the lineup, the trio of Arrianna Jackson, Kenzie Hare, and Sydney Harris formed a terrific threat from behind the arc. They combined for 7-15 from deep, which will absolutely win you games once the margins get thin. Today, none were bigger than when Kenzie Hare knocked down her second with just 56 seconds to go. This ultimately forced Kansas State to primarily attempt early baskets and then send Iowa State to the free throw line.
In a stat that nobody expected, Iowa State won this game on free throws. Entering the game as the worst free throw shooting team in the conference, the team combined for 25-28 from the charity stripe. For reference, if they had continued their previous rate, they would have missed seven extra free throws which would have been the margin. In a time where both basketball teams for Iowa State have been struggling at the line, this is a very welcomed sight.
The one thing that I would like to fix in the following games was the turnovers. They did fall into some old habits in the first quarter of forcing passes to Audi when they weren’t there, but those were mostly cleaned up by the start of the second half. Kansas State did win the turnover battle 12-16, as well as scoring 22 points off turnovers compared to our 11. Our defense tends to have the most holes when having to set up quickly, so cutting down on turnovers can help prevent those opportunities.
Iowa State now moves to 8-6 in the conference and is currently in a three way tie for seventh place with Arizona State and Utah. With four games remaining, every game counts as they will fight to have at least a first round bye in the conference tournament, as well as establishing their position in the NCAA tournament.
Iowa State will be back in Hilton on Wednesday, taking on Arizona State at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. This is the first appearance for the Sun Devils inside Hilton Coliseum since Dec. 4, 1994, but with both teams currently at 8-6 in the conference, this can be a pivotal game for both teams down the stretch.