Crooks delivers for Iowa State in close win over No. 4 Baylor

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Audi Crooks scored 23 points, Hannah Belanger added 15, and their clutch scores in the final 30 seconds lifted unranked Iowa State over No. 4 Baylor 66-63 on Saturday.

Iowa State trailed for 27 minutes of play but shut down Baylor in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. The Cyclones trailed by two entering the final period but outscored the Bears 14-9 in the fourth.

Emily Ryan was fouled after making a steal and made one free throw to give Iowa State a 62-59 lead with 2 minutes to go. After a 3-second call against Iowa State, Jada Walker hit a jumper to get Baylor within a point. She drew a foul after another Iowa State turnover and her two free throws gave Baylor a 63-62 lead.

Crooks scored in the paint to put the Cyclones back ahead with 24 seconds left, but she missed a three-point opportunity and the score was 64-63. After a miss by Yaya Felder, Baylor put Belanger on the line for Iowa State. She made both for a 3-point lead with 10 seconds left and a 3-point try by Baylor's Sarah Andrews was off the mark as time expired.

Crooks and Belanger combined to make 15 of 24 shots for the Cyclones (12-4, 5-0 Big 12). Addy Brown had nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Edwards had 19 points and seven rebounds for Baylor (14-2, 3-2). Walker had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Darianna Littlepage-Bug added eight points and eight rebounds.

After falling behind 10-5, the Bears made 8 of 11 shots and finished the first quarter on a 19-1 run that included 13 points in a row. Walker scored eight points, Dre’una Edwards seven and Littlepage-Bugg six and the Bears led 24-11 at the end of the period.

After a first quarter in which they had 10 turnovers, the Cyclones regrouped and scored the first seven points of the second quarter. Still, Baylor led by 10 in the final minute before Crooks hit a jumper for Iowa State to make it 37-29 at halftime.

Much like the first and second quarters, Iowa State went on an early run in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Belanger capped a 10-2 run and tied the score at 39 near the six-minute mark of the period. Baylor answered with 3-pointers from Aijha Blackwell and Edwards to go up by six. Belanger’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer got Iowa State within 54-52 heading to the fourth quarter.

The Bears won their first 14 games and reached No. 4 in the national rankings this week before losing to Kansas 87-66 on Wednesday.

Baylor is 33-12 in the series against Iowa State, but the Cyclones have won three of four in the past two seasons.

Iowa State travels to Lubbock, Texas, and will play Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Baylor heads home and will host UCF on Saturday, Jan. 20.

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