Iowa State women's basketball team improves to 2-0 in Big 12 play with win over Kansas

AMES - The Iowa State women’s basketball team was deadlocked with Kansas in the early moments of the third quarter Wednesday night when Cyclones freshman Addy Brown quickly swung a pass around to teammate Arianna Jackson.

Jackson, who was waiting at the top of the key, fired up a 3-pointer that swished through the net to give Iowa State the lead.

That was just the start of things to come in the quarter for the Cyclones, who took complete control of the game by unleashing six total 3-pointers in the quarter while rolling to a 69-61 win over the Jayhawks. Iowa State, which had struggled for the first two quarters, used the big swing to improve to pick up another win and improve to 9-4 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

"I think seeing a few go in gave a lot of people confidence," said Iowa State guard Hannah Belanger. "So we were just hitting shots."

The big shots were a huge step forward for a young Iowa State team that entered the season full of promise but not a ton of expectations. But the Cyclones (9-4, 2-0 Big 12) have shown they may be ahead of schedule after closing out the non-conference slate and picking up a huge road victory at Oklahoma State to start Big 12 play.

Wednesday’s win, which marked the team's fifth straight, was equally as impressive as Iowa State took down a Kansas (7-6, 0-2 Big 12) squad that was picked to finish third in the league. The task looked tough after the Cyclones fell into a 17-8 hole at the end of the first quarter. Despite turning it over 11 times and shooting just 1-for-6 from 3-point range in the first half, Iowa State still managed to tie the game heading into the break.

During halftime, Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly urged his team to be less hesitant and to take more shots. They listened. When the third quarter began, the Cyclones finally started to roll. Audi Crooks sank a pair of free throws to give Iowa State a 26-24 lead. Kansas tied it back up on a layup by Wyvette Mayberry. That’s when Iowa State took full control.

Jackson sank a 3-pointer that pushed Iowa State ahead 29-26. Less than a minute later, Belanger hit one to give the Cyclones a six-point lead. Jackson and Belanger traded 3’s again as part of a 12-3 run.

"We just kept saying, 'They're good on defense but they're not as good if they're not set," Fennelly said.

Iowa State continued to pour it on in the third. Belanger even completed a four-point play by connecting on a 3-pointer and sinking a free throw. Iowa State, which shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the frame, outscored Kansas 24-13. That was enough to survive a late fourth-quarter run by the Jayhawks.

Belanger had 19 points. Brown finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Crooks added 11 points and six rebounds. But it was the third quarter that changed everything for Iowa State.

"We really pulled away in the second half," Brown said.

What a game for Hannah Belanger

Belanger was the 3-point shooting star the Cyclones hoped she would be when they brought her in from Truman State over the offseason. The guard was one of the biggest contributors in Iowa State's second-half resurgence, shooting 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the third quarter alone. She had 13 points in the quarter, including the unusual four-point play.

She entered the game needing 19 points to reach 2,000 career points. Belanger conceded the free throw following the 3-pointer probably shouldn't have happened.

"I think I actually rolled my ankle, which is why I fell," Belanger said. "I don't know if she actually fouled me."

Brown, who was sitting next to Belanger in the postgame press conference, smiled as Belanger made her confession.

"Shhh," Brown said.

That's another big game for Arianna Jackson

Jackson, a former star at Des Moines Roosevelt, was coming off the best game of her young college career after drilling a career-high 14 points at Oklahoma State. Some of those points came during crucial moments in the third and fourth quarters.

Jackson delivered in big moments again Wednesday, especially in the third quarter when she sank two 3-pointers that helped ignite the Cyclones.

"It wasn't the flash of Saturday, but I thought her game was critical," Fennelly said.

What's next? Another test to show how good the Cyclones are

It's certainly still too early to know how good this Iowa State team can be and how far they can go. But the Cyclones are likely opening up a lot of eyes with their strong start to Big 12 play. Their resume already includes a nice road win in addition to Wednesday's victory against a Kansas team that was expected to do well in the Big 12.

Another big test awaits Iowa State, which travels to BYU (10-5, 0-2 Big 12) on Saturday.

"To come into our house, we take care of them and move to the next game," Brown said. "But, I think it does a lot for our confidence moving forward."

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball takes down Kansas, moves to 2-0 in Big 12