Audi Crooks scored a career-high 47 points for No. 10 Iowa State, as the Cyclones handed Indiana its first loss of the year, a 105-96 victory in the Blue Heron Division championship game in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Cyclones (9-0) passed their first real tests of the season with ease, beating both Indiana and Marquette to win the holiday tournament. Prior to besting the Golden Eagles, Iowa State hadn’t played a Power 5 opponent all season. The Cyclones shot the lights out against the Hoosiers, hitting 64% from the field.
Read More: Around the Big 12: Crooks Scores 47 to Keep Cyclones Undefeated
Crooks had much to do with that, shooting 19-for-25. Addy Brown chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jada Williams dished out 11 assists. Iowa State has a breather this week, hosting Northern Illinois on Sunday.
Red Raiders Blow Out Two Mid-Majors
Texas Tech locked down on Old Dominion and North Texas, beating the Monarchs 67-42 and the Mean Green 67-47 to remain undefeated.
The Red Raiders (9-0) held North Texas to 32% from the field and allowed Old Dominion to shoot just 27%. Nobody has broken 70 points this season against Texas Tech, which ranks third in the Big 12 in overall defense.
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Texas Tech faces one game this week, hosting struggling Wichita State on Wednesday.
Sun Devils Sweep Three Home Games
Arizona State breezed to victory in its holiday tournament, pounding Little Rock on Friday and Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. The Sun Devils also picked up a win Tuesday over Utah Tech outside of its tournament.
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Little Rock was the only one of the three to stay within 20 points of Arizona State (8-0). A different scorer led the Sun Devils each night, with Heloisa Carrera scoring 21 points against Southeast Missouri State. The Sun Devils have yet to face a Power 5 opponent, and that won’t change this week; they’ll play McNeese State and San Francisco. Because of renovation work on Desert Financial Arena, the Sun Devils will host these games in Mullett Arena, the school’s hockey facility.
Suarez Hits Double Digits in Sixth Straight Game for TCU
Marta Suarez scored 19 points against UAB and 24 against Richmond, and TCU blew to a pair of wins over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Suarez has hit 20 points in five of her past six games for the Horned Frogs (8-0), who have won all of their games by double digits this year. Only Sam Houston State held Suarez under 19 points, and that was in limited action, as TCU won that game by 42 points.
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The Frogs have a strong win on their resume by beating NC State in Raleigh. However, that’s the last Power 5 game they’ll see until Big 12 play. TCU hosts Incarnate Word on Wednesday and UTEP on Saturday.
Arizona Stays Undefeated
Arizona cruised to a pair of wins at home, beating Northern Colorado on Tuesday and Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
The Wildcats (6-0) haven’t been scratched this season, but they haven’t played anyone capable of scratching them. Arizona has played three teams from the Big West, two from the Big Sky and Grambling of the SWAC. Those teams are a combined 17-28, and only two have winning records.
Arizona appears to have scheduled strictly for record in Becky Burke’s first season in Tucson. The Wildcats will not play a power conference opponent outside the Big 12. They’ll host Southern on Wednesday and New Mexico on Sunday
Cowgirls Win Cayman Classic
Jadyn Wooten scored 26 points and Oklahoma State shot 61% from the floor to beat Miami 87-84 in the championship of the Little Cayman Division of the Cayman Islands Classic.
The Cowgirls (8-1) beat Charlotte in their first matchup in the Caymans and throttled Texas A&M-Corpus Christi earlier in the week. Oklahoma State took its first loss last week to St. John’s, but the Cowgirls responded well to their first taste of adversity.
Oklahoma State sits 24th in the national rankings. The Cowgirls visit North Texas on Wednesday and host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
BYU Splits at Paradise Jam
BYU jumped out to an early lead against Vanderbilt in the final of the Paradise Jam, but couldn’t hold on in an 84-71 loss to the unbeaten Commodores.
The Cougars (7-1) defeated Virginia Tech 64-60 in the semifinals to take a split at the tournament. BYU held the Hokies to 35% from the field in that game, but couldn’t sustain the defense two days after against Vanderbilt. Marya Hudgins led BYU with 24 points in the loss.
The Cougars play Washington State on Wednesday and visit Portland on Saturday.
Bears Roll to Pair of Wins
Taliah Scott led Baylor in scoring for the fourth straight game, as the Bears routed Louisiana Tech and Grambling at home.
Baylor (7-1) had looked shaky the week before in losing to Iowa and surviving Davidson in overtime. The Bears looked much more like themselves in these games. Between them, the Tigers and the Techsters combined to score just 81 points against the Baylor defense.
Baylor faces two more breathers this week, hosting Southeast Louisiana on Wednesday and Texas-San Antonio on Sunday.
Jayhawks Come Up Short in Fort Myers
Kansas lost a pair of games at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, falling by six points to Georgia and losing at the last second to Dayton.
The Jayhawks (6-2) nearly stole the game with the Flyers when Elle Evans hit a 3-point shot with 10 seconds left, cutting the lead to 59-58. Dayton then missed two free throws to give Kansas one final chance. However, the Jayhawks couldn’t find a shot in the final four seconds, leaving them with their second defeat of the year.
Smya Nichols scored 40 points in the loss to Georgia, but the rest of the Jayhawks managed just 22. Kansas faces another Power 5 opponent Wednesday at Northwestern, and will visit Missouri State on Sunday.
UCF Takes Third in Puerto Rico
Leah Harmon’s 27 points proved just enough for UCF to survive against Rice, as the Knights defeated the Owls 57-56 in the third-place game in Puerto Rico.
The Knights (6-2) dropped the semifinal against previously undefeated Wake Forest, falling 65-60 in overtime to the Demon Deacons. UCF also defeated East Carolina to go 2-1 in the commonwealth.
Central Florida faces two home games this week, facing Stetson on Wednesday and Delaware State on Sunday.
Jet-Lagged Buffaloes Tripped at Home
Colorado got an unfriendly return from the Hawaiian islands, losing 71-70 to Montana State in its first game back from a tournament in Oahu.
The Buffaloes (5-3) lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Bobcats. Colorado had beaten Texas-Arlington and VCU on the islands before losing to Texas A&M in the North Shore Showcase, but the Buffaloes clearly ran out of gas in the last 10 minutes. Despite outshooting Montana State, Colorado could not overcome 23 turnovers.
The Buffaloes face Wyoming on Sunday.
Houston Turned Over in Nassau
Houston committed 38 turnovers in an ugly 83-66 loss to Arkansas State in Nassau. The Cougars salvaged a split by beating Tulsa in the third-place game.
Houston (5-3) outshot the Red Wolves, but couldn’t keep pace because it couldn’t take care of the ball. The Cougars did handle Tulsa with rock-solid 3-point defense. In their 66-61 win, the Cougars held the Golden Hurricane to 10% from behind the arc.
Houston hosts Southern on Sunday.
Utes Win Two Against Big Sky
Utah got the break it needed after facing Connecticut, handling Weber State and Montana at home to get back on track.
The Utes (5-3) faced top-ranked Connecticut the week before, losing by 52 points to the powerful Huskies. Utah was back in control against Montana, getting 16 points from Lani White in a 40-point rout.
The Utes travel to Colorado State on Thursday.
K-State Goes 1-2 in Cancun
Taryn Sides scored 27 points in the third-place game of the Cancun Challenge, but Kansas State couldn’t handle South Dakota State, taking an 82-70 loss.
The Wildcats (5-5) finished fourth after escaping Columbia and losing to North Carolina. The Tar Heels hit 14 3-pointers in the semifinals, while Sides scored 30 points to push K-State past the Lions.
After a 3-0 start, Kansas State has lost five of seven. The Wildcats have fallen to a pair of power conference schools in Texas A&M and North Carolina, as well as high-quality mid-majors Green Bay, South Dakota and South Dakota State. K-State meets unbeaten Mississippi on Sunday in St. Joseph, Mo.
Bearcats Win Third Straight
Cincinnati got itself to .500, picking up its third straight win by beating Alabama A&M and New Mexico in Naples, Fla.
The Bearcats (4-4) survived shooting 19% from 3-point range by holding the Lobos to 31% from the floor. Mya Perry led Cincinnati in both games, scoring 25 against Alabama A&M and 16 against New Mexico.
The Bearcats play local rivals Miami-Ohio on Wednesday and Xavier on Sunday.
