It’s finally over! After five straight losses, the Iowa State Cyclones are back in the win column. And while Audi Crooks had a solid outing, it was Jada Williams who stole the spotlight for the Lady Cyclones. Coach Bill Fennelly was not completely pleased with her performance.

When asked about Jada Williams’ performance, Coach Bill Fennelly didn’t hold back the praise, but he did have a slight problem with one part of her game.

“Incredibly efficient. We want her to be offensive-minded. She’s always been a pass-first person,” Fennelly said.

“I think the thing tonight that I was most proud of is that she settled for too many threes at times when she can get into the gut of the defense and pull up for a mid-range or get to the free throw line.”

He continued, “I would say the three at the end of the third quarter she had to take. It was a bad shot, but she had to take it, and it went in. I’d say seven or eight of the other ones were in rhythm. She was open. One of them, I think, she settled for. I don’t think ‘forced’ is the right word. When she shoots like that, I think she’s got a good stroke.

Jada Williams isn’t exactly known for her three-point shooting or being an efficient scorer. She’s always been the playmaker, the floor general, and her 7.6 assists per game prove it. But against the Cincinnati Bearcats, we saw a different Jada Williams.

She exploded for 44 points on 15-for-22 shooting and went 6-for-10 from three. For a player who is a career 28.1% shooter from deep, hitting 60% from beyond the arc was worthy of major praise. But as Coach Fennelly pointed out, there were moments where she could have attacked the paint instead of settling for threes, even noting that one of her misses came because she had completely settled into shooting from long range.

However, that was just a minor complaint.

Coach Fennelly was thrilled to watch his playmaker help the Lady Cyclones snap the skid and improve to 15–5 overall and 3–5 in Big 12 play. Williams had a hand in 62 of Iowa State’s 93 points (67%), which is just insane production.

He credited the performance to the hours she spends each morning in the gym with Coach Jodi Steyer and Emily Ryan. And if she continues to shoot at this level from deep, a fully healthy Cyclones team could look very different come March.

Meanwhile, Audi Crooks continued to shine, too, as she added another record to her name.

Alongside Jada Williams, Audi Crooks shines as well

The losses of Arianna Jackson and Addy Brown were major factors in Iowa State’s struggles during Big 12 play. But against Cincinnati, one of those starters returned.

Arianna Jackson made her comeback from a knee injury, and her presence not only helped Williams flourish but also took a lot of pressure off Audi Crooks, who had another strong performance.

Crooks finished with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. In the process, she recorded her 86th straight game in double figures, the longest active streak in Division I. Any guesses who the last player to hit that many consecutive double-figure games was?

Caitlin Clark!

The Lady Cyclones finally seem to have found their footing, and they’ll be hoping it continues.

After starting 14–0, many felt they were on track to be a Big 12 title favorite, but things didn’t pan out that way. Now the goal is to carry this momentum, stack wins, and be ready for the Big 12 Tournament and the Big Dance.