Iowa State women's basketball upsets No. 7 Baylor at Hilton Coliseum

AMES − Before Saturday’s showdown with No. 7 Baylor, Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly told his team about two things he wanted them to accomplish.

Fennelly figured Hilton Coliseum might not be as packed as it usually is due to the most recent snowstorm, so he told his players to make sure they performed well enough that the fans who made it felt like it was worth the trip.

He also told them to make sure the ones who stayed home wished they had made the trip.

“I think we did both,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State tallied its biggest win of the season and one of the most memorable victories in recent history by knocking off Baylor 66-63. The Cyclones, who have now won eight straight games, improved to 12-4 and remained undefeated in Big 12 Conference play (5-0) by taking down one of the conference's perennial powerhouses. Saturday’s signature victory gave Iowa State its first win over a ranked team this season.

“I think we put on a show,” said Iowa State senior Hannah Belanger.

Audi Crooks scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win. Belanger chipped in with 15 points. Those two came up with huge basket after huge basket as the young Cyclones continued their surprisingly strong start in Big 12 play.

Crooks’ layup with 24.1 seconds left in regulation gave Iowa State a 64-63 lead it would not relinquish. Belanger then sank a pair of free throws to extend the lead.

Baylor’s Sarah Andrews missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired to give the Cyclones the win. It set off a big celebration, with Fennelly pumping his fist into the air in front of the fans before sprinting back to the locker room with his team.

“We know what we’re capable of,” Belanger said. “We have quarters of what we’re capable of. So now it’s just continuing to put those together.”

More: A look back at Iowa State women's basketball's wins over top-10 teams in the last decade

Iowa State, which battled back from a 19-point deficit during a win earlier in the week over West Virginia, had to fight back again. Baylor built a 13-point lead in the first quarter after Jada Walker banked in a 3-pointer from 70 feet away. Iowa State then entered halftime trailing 37-29. But like they have so many times already this season, the Cyclones made a comeback.

The Cyclones opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Belanger. Baylor reclaimed the lead and built it to five midway through the third quarter. But Belanger came up big again when she connected on a 3-poinnter as time expired to pull Iowa State to within 54-52 of Baylor.

“Coach Fenn always preaches, ‘Be ready when your opportunity is up and don’t be shocked if you’re open,’” Belanger said.

After Belanger tied the game 54-54 on a layup in the fourth quarter, the lead changed hands four times. Baylor took a 63-62 lead when Walker connected on a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Cyclones found Crooks in the post for the clutch basket.

“Audi Crooks on the block is as good of a look as you’re probably ever going to get,” Fennelly said.

Here’s what we learned.

More: Peterson: Is this Bill Fennelly's best work as Iowa State's basketball coach? Absolutely.

Forget about the future. Iowa State is good right now.

The ceiling for the Cyclones seems to be raising with each win. Iowa State was expected to have a rebuilding season of sorts, with many of the Cyclones’ young players getting on-the-job training in a tough Big 12 schedule. But the Cyclones are showing they may be ahead of schedule. They are coming off a huge week that saw them take down a West Virginia team that recently fell from the USA Today coaches poll and a Baylor team ranked in the top 10.

“Just coming into this year, everybody being uncertain to what we’re going to do and if we’re going to be able to produce, to do that twice this week just means a lot and it’s just going to give us a foundation to keep building off of,” Crooks said.

A familiar face comes to town

Former Iowa State player Denae Fritz made her first return to Hilton Coliseum after transferring to Baylor in the offseason. Fritz, who started 31 games for the Cyclones last season, was welcomed with hugs and high-fives from her former coaches at Iowa State. she tallied two points in 6 minutes and 48 seconds of playing time Saturday.

Things should get a little easier for Iowa State. But expectations will likely rise as well.

Iowa State finished perhaps its most difficult week of the season with a 2-0 mark. The next stretch shouldn’t be as difficult. The Cyclones travel to Texas Tech on Wednesday and then host TCU on Saturday. The week very well could begin with Iowa State making its debut in the national rankings as well.

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 No. 7 Baylor in Ames