After 14 consecutive wins, the Iowa State Cyclones have tasted defeat. They lost 72–70 to Baylor at home, but if the Bears thought they had intimidated them, Audi Crooks made sure to shoot down that narrative.

Crooks delivered a post-game message that sounded less like disappointment and more like a warning. “You don’t want to be a monster in January. You want to be a monster in March,” she said.

The 2-point loss felt like a jarring setback, but for Crooks, it felt necessary. “I think that it was really, really intense. I don’t think we were at our best tonight,” she admitted.

The NCAA leading scorer was openly candid about the takeaways from the defeat. “In order to do that you need to recognize your flaws, you need to recognize your shortcomings,” she explained.

“When you lose it really just puts everything out there. You have to look in the mirror and recognize everything you need to do better.”

The Cyclones were only able to make 9 of 31 attempted three-pointers, and their 13 turnovers also stood out like a sore thumb. Baylor had all the opportunities to score, with Iowa State only making 2 blocks and 2 steals each.

Despite their shortcomings, Crooks made 26 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, posting her fifth double-double of the season. She focused less on the stat line and more on the missed opportunities that mattered most.

“If we were to win today, those rebounds that I missed would seem a lot less significant, those shots that I missed… those turnovers that we had seem a lot less significant.”

How Baylor managed the win

The Cyclones built an early lead of 21-17 at the end of the first quarter, but Baylor caught on quickly in the second. Crooks scored Iowa State’s first nine points and finished the opening quarter with 14.

But it was Taliah Scott who changed the game. She exploded with 28 points, making all 8 free throws and shooting 6 of 24. Her game-winning jumper with 30 seconds left sealed the deal, snapping Iowa State’s perfect record.

The Bears' strategy was to defend Crooks with two players, one ahead and one behind. "It obviously made it hard to get Audi the ball,” marked Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.

And clearly, this strategy worked as Crooks was slowed down.

Rather than focusing on the loss, Crooks has her eyes set on performing when it matters the most, during March.

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Joyita Das