Iowa State Women’s Hoops Searching for Answers as Injuries, Offense, and Rebounding Woes Mount
AMES - When Sydney Harris rises up behind the arc, there’s no hesitation. No second-guessing.
Just a clean release and the expectation that the ball’s going in. And when it doesn’t?
She’s genuinely surprised.
But lately, even her smoothest makes have come with a tinge of frustration. Because while Harris is still doing what she does best - knocking down shots - Iowa State is in the middle of something it hasn’t seen in nearly a decade: a four-game losing streak.
“Good to see the ball go in,” Harris said, “but we’re still falling short. So I want to win some games while making shots - hopefully that’s what we can get done in Stillwater.”
The Cyclones (14-4, 2-4 Big 12) will look to stop the slide Sunday afternoon on the road at Oklahoma State (15-4, 4-2), but the task won’t be easy. The Cowgirls come in as one of the most explosive teams in the country, ranking seventh nationally in scoring at 87.9 points per game. They’re also a force on the glass, boasting a +10.5 rebounding margin - 13th-best in the nation.
For Iowa State, that’s not a great matchup on paper. The Cyclones have been outscored at the free throw line in three of their last four games and have lost the rebounding battle each time during this skid. Add in the absence of two key starters - Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson - both out indefinitely with injuries, and the margin for error is razor thin.
Actually, scratch that. According to head coach Bill Fennelly, it’s nonexistent.
“We’ve got, you know, the term no one likes to hear - no margin for error,” Fennelly said. “But our margin for error is nonexistent right now, so we’d better figure it out.”
That figuring-out process starts with getting back to what Iowa State does best - making shots. Fennelly has long called basketball a “make/miss game,” and when the Cyclones are making, they’re tough to beat.
Harris has been doing her part, shooting 50% from deep in each of her last two starts. But the Cyclones need more than just one hot hand.
And they need to find ways to get Audi Crooks more involved - early and often.
Crooks is still the nation’s leading scorer, but she was largely bottled up through three quarters in Wednesday’s 68-62 loss at Colorado. She had just seven points entering the fourth, and while she finished with 17, it was a grind. Double- and triple-teams were constant, and that kind of defensive attention isn’t going away.
“It can’t just be Jada [Williams] entering the ball to Audi,” Fennelly said. “We’ve gotta figure out ways to get other people open so the pass they make is a little more comfortable for them.”
That’s where the “hockey assist” comes in - the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the bucket. It’s a small detail, but one that could make a big difference for an offense that’s still trying to find rhythm without two of its key pieces.
“We’ve worked really hard on what we call the hockey assist,” Fennelly added. “We need to - for sure.”
Meanwhile, Harris continues to embrace her expanded role. She’s already been a reliable shooter, hitting at least 40% from deep in each of the past two seasons. This year, she’s hovering around 38%, but with the Cyclones shorthanded, she knows she has to be more than just a spot-up shooter.
“Coach has been saying with people out, I have to take on a bigger scoring role,” Harris said. “And Audi’s getting tripled - four people on her and stuff - so that’s leaving people open.
We have to knock down shots at this level, otherwise we’re not gonna win games. We can’t rely on just one person scoring, and he’s made that very clear.”
The Cyclones don’t need perfection on Sunday, but they do need urgency. A fifth straight loss would be uncharted territory for this program under Fennelly - something that hasn’t happened since the 2015-16 season.
So the mission in Stillwater is clear: shoot better, rebound harder, and find a way to support Crooks when defenses collapse. Because in a Big 12 race that’s only heating up, the Cyclones can’t afford to keep falling behind.