“I grew up the other way. My family liked the school out east.” As shocking as it might sound, the nation’s leading scorer, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, actually grew up a Hawkeyes fan. And yet there she was, gearing up to face the team she once rooted for — this time wearing the colors of their biggest in-state rival.

But this Cy-Hawk showdown meant so much more to her than just a childhood allegiance flip.

“This game was really important to me and my family, specifically my dad. My dad and I would always watch this one together, and Coach Fenn’s dad passed a few years ago right before this game, or maybe it was a day or two after, so him and I just had kind of talked,” an emotional Crooks said in the postgame conference. “When I was going up to shoot the free throw, he pointed up in the sky and said he’s watching, and I just couldn’t hold it in, and I missed the first one, so I couldn’t see, but yeah, that was just a special moment that him and I shared.”

According to Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) on X, coach Bill Fennelly lost his father on the day of a Cy-Hawk game six years ago, which made this 74–69 win even more meaningful for him and Audi Crooks. It was the first time the two had shared a victory over Iowa together.

The victory was also Iowa State’s first over the Hawkeyes since a 77–70 Cy-Hawk win on Dec. 8, 2021.

It was Audi Crooks from start to finish. The matchup had been billed as a battle of the centers, Ava Heiden vs Audi Crooks, but there was only ever one winner. Crooks dominated with 30 points and 10 rebounds on 13-of-20 shooting in a season-high 36 minutes, while Heiden spent most of the night in foul trouble and finished with just 8 points in 16 minutes.

But this wasn’t an easy win by any stretch. For most of the night, the Cyclones were cruising, up by 17 late in the third quarter and looking ready to close out a statement victory. Then a hint of complacency crept in, and Iowa pounced. The Hawkeyes stormed back with a 26–12 run, slicing the lead to just three.

They might have tied it too, if not for Mackenzie Hare coming up with the block of the night on Taylor McCabe’s three-point attempt

With just three points separating the teams and the ball in Crooks’ hands, she was fouled and sent to the free-throw line. Before she stepped up for the shots, coach Fennelly pointed up toward the sky — a reminder, as she shared in the postgame press conference, that her father was still watching. She might have missed the first free throw, but she gathered herself and calmly sank the second to seal the win for the Cyclones.

With the win, Iowa State moved to 11–0, their best start since the 2013–14 season when the Cyclones opened with 14 straight victories. For weeks, people wondered what would happen when this team finally faced a ranked opponent. Would the unbeaten run hold up? Would Audi Crooks keep dominating?

Well, those questions have now been answered.

That said, Crooks is well on her way to making NCAA history.

Audi Crooks can make NCAA history

Watching Audi Crooks might remind you of those 2K MyPlayer sessions where you casually dropped 40 because nobody could stop you. Because that’s exactly what her season looks like in real life. She’s putting up 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game, while averaging more than a point per minute

The junior center has 306 points in just 281 minutes, putting her on track to become the first Division I women’s player this century to average at least one point per minute. If she actually pulls it off, she would join an exclusive club with only one other member across all of Division I (men or women), the NBA, and the WNBA this century.

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And that one name? Joel Embiid, as noted by analyst Rachel Galligan on X.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go before that record can move from dream to reality, but with the way Crooks is playing, nothing suggests she can’t pull it off. Still, chasing history isn’t her main priority right now. Her focus is on leading the Cyclones to a deeper run in the Big Dance — something she hasn’t experienced yet, with a second-round exit being her best finish so far.