1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ISU | 18 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 85 |
OU | 11 | 13 | 19 | 25 | 68 |
Crooks scores 25 as Iowa State beats top-seeded Oklahoma 85-68 in women's Big 12 semifinals
Audi Crooks scores 25 to help Iowa State top Oklahoma
Audi Crooks scores a game-high 25 points to lead Iowa State to a win over Oklahoma.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- — Audi Crooks had 25 points, Addy Brown added 16 and fourth-seeded Iowa State romped to an 85-68 victory over top-seeded and No. 19 Oklahoma on Monday, giving the Cyclones a chance to defend their women's Big 12 Tournament title.
Emily Ryan added 12 points and 10 assists for the Cyclones (20-10), who beat the Sooners in last year's semifinals before topping Texas for the title. Iowa State will now get a rematch Tuesday night against the No. 6 Longhorns, who beat Kansas State in their semifinal later in the day.
Payton Verhulst had 23 points for the Sooners (22-9), who will head to the SEC next season having lost their last seven Big 12 semifinals. Sahara Williams added 16 points and league co-player of the year Skylar Vann finished with 12.
Iowa State overcame 21 turnovers by shooting 12 of 23 from the 3-point arc.
The Cyclones set the tone with Crooks in the paint early on — she had 11 points in the first half — and that opened things up from the perimeter, where they drilled seven of those 3-pointers in the first half while building a 38-24 advantage.
It was the biggest halftime deficit cold-shooting Oklahoma had faced all season.
But unlike earlier this season, when the Sooners raced from the locker room and used a big second-half to win easily in Ames, Iowa, the Cyclones kept momentum on their side. They outscored Big 12 coach of the year Jennie Baranczyk's team 14-3 to start the second half, pushing their lead to 62-43 by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.
In fact, Iowa State's only misstep came when Ryan missed a free throw, snapping her streak of 34 consecutive makes.
The Cyclones rolled from there into the championship game against the Longhorns.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Dee Kantner
- Julie Krommenhoek
- Brian Hall
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Kansas State | 8-1 | - | 20-2 |
TCU | 8-1 | - | 20-2 |
Baylor | 7-2 | 1 | 17-5 |
Oklahoma State | 8-3 | 1 | 18-4 |
West Virginia | 7-3 | 1.5 | 17-4 |
Utah | 7-3 | 1.5 | 16-5 |
Iowa State | 6-4 | 2.5 | 15-8 |
Colorado | 5-4 | 3 | 14-6 |
Cincinnati | 5-4 | 3 | 13-6 |
Arizona | 5-5 | 3.5 | 14-9 |
Kansas | 4-6 | 4.5 | 14-7 |
Texas Tech | 3-7 | 5.5 | 14-9 |
BYU | 2-8 | 6.5 | 11-10 |
Arizona State | 2-9 | 7 | 8-15 |
UCF | 1-9 | 7.5 | 8-12 |
Houston | 1-10 | 8 | 5-17 |