Why No. 10 Iowa State is no longer undefeated, but No. 12 Vanderbilt still is

Beckett Harrison recently proclaimed that Audi Crooks is championship-ready.

Baylor head coach Nicki Collen agreed, and because of that understanding, her No. 22-ranked Bears took down Crooks’ No. 10-ranked Cyclones, 72—70, sending Iowa State to their first lost of the season.

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After Crooks was cooking in her customary fashion in the first half, racking up 22 first-half points, Collen resorted to an extreme defensive tactic in order to try to stop Crooks. Baylor aggressively double-teamed Crooks, sandwiching her between two defenders during every Iowa State offensive possession for much of the second half. That left Iowa State junior guard Jada Williams unguarded, with Baylor welcoming shots from Williams over scoring opportunities for Crooks or any other Cyclone.

Williams, a sub-27-percent 3-pointer shooter and sub-40-percent overall shooter entering the game, accepted the challenge, firing off 17 3-pointers and 28 total shots. She made six of those 3s and scored a career-high and game-high 28 points.

But Crooks scored just four second-half points, breaking her streak of 30-point games as she finished with 26 points.

In addition to neutralizing Crooks on offense, Collen and Baylor exploited her on defense.

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As Beckett highlighted, Crooks, for all her offensive, brilliance, brings distinct defensive disadvantages. Although Crooks did grab 10 rebounds, she can struggle to keep opponents off the glass. Baylor frequently extended their own offensive possession by corralling boards, with Bears senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs doing most of the damage as she collected 20 rebounds, including seven offensive. Crooks also has limited mobility on the defensive end, with Iowa State electing to play her in a conservative drop coverage, meaning she mostly stays around the basket. She’s therefore vulnerable in ball-screen actions, when the player she is defending goes to set a screen for a teammate.

And that’s the exact play Baylor went to on their…

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Publish date : 2026-01-05 11:00:00

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