Iowa State women’s basketball player Emily Ryan expected plenty of friends and family at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday to see the Kansas native play her final regular season game in her home state.
Ryan put on a show for all of them.
The Cyclones point guard poured in 20 points as Iowa State beat host Kansas, 93-80. Iowa State won its third-straight game and improved to 18-9 on the season, including 9-5 in Big 12 Conference play.
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Five players scored in double figures for the Cyclones. Audi Crooks tallied 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Addy Brown came up one rebound short of the school’s first triple-double in over a decade, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists and nine boards.
Sydney Harris finished with 17 points while Kelsey Joens added 11. But Ryan was the star of the show. The Cyclones’ fifth-year senior and Claflin, Kansas native helped Iowa State enjoy a strong start to the game and ultimately roll to an important road win.
Ryan shot 7-of-13 from the field but was especially efficient in the first quarter. She connected on her first four 3-pointers on the day and had 12 of her team’s first 14 points. Iowa State led 26-17 after the first quarter and was already well on its way to a win.
The Cyclones connected on 11 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 on the day.
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Brown did a little bit of everything for Iowa State and nearly became the first player in school history to tally a triple-double since Nikki Moody did so on Nov. 29, 2014. But Brown, who picked up her ninth rebound midway through the fourth quarter, checked out of the game for good with 2:38 remaining as coach Bill Fennelly emptied his bench in the lopsided win.
It was another much-needed road win for Iowa State as they easily took care of a struggling Kansas team (14-11, 4-10 Big 12). The Cyclones have yet to suffer any really unexpected losses, which is one of the most impressive parts of its NCAA Tournament resume.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball beats Kansas, Cyclones led by Addy Brown
