The UConn Huskies and the Iowa State Cyclones met at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT for the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Tuesday night. After the first four minutes, Ashlynn Shade of UConn was leading Audi Crooks of Iowa State 14 – 6, in what looked like for Shade to be a re-emergence of the fire people were used to seeing in her rookie season.
As soon as Shade decided to let others join in the fun, Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong joined the party, and by the end of the quarter, Shade had scored 20 points, Bueckers scored nine points, and Strong seven points. Audi Crooks scored six points, with Kelsey Joens and Addt Brown each contributing two points for Iowa State, making the first quarter a 36-10 UConn lead.
The second quarter gave Iowa State a chance to cut into the lead a bit, outscoring the Huskies 25-18. With a 54-35 lead at the half, it appeared that UConn was on its way to a dominating performance. Such was the case, as they outscored ISU in the second half 47- 33, ending the game 101 -68.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/GiRLH4xG7i
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) December 18, 2024
The previously ranked Cyclones had opened the season as the No. 8 team. Their first loss went to in-state rival Northern Iowa, then a blowout loss to then No. 4 South Carolina, another in-state loss to Iowa, and now UConn. None of their 9 wins have come against ranked opponents, and the Cyclones are no longer ranked. After a disappointing loss to Notre Dame, the Huskies have now won two straight, beating Georgetown and Iowa State.
After the loss to the Irish, the Huskies needed to find another shooter. Coupled with the injury to Azzi Fudd, who has missed the last three games, the search became even more imperative. Enter Ashlynn Shade, who stormed the first quarter, but also brought back that patented smile that drips of enthusiasm. Scoring 20 of her 27 points in the first quarter showed what she can bring to the court, and she will hopefully be able to provide consistent shooting from now on.
UConn Found The Range From Beyond The Arc
UConn ended up with 20 made threes, a new record. 17 of those came from Shade, Bueckers, and Strong. No one else hit double figures for the Huskies, and everyone except Qadence Samuels scored. While the bench production only totaled 10 points, glimpses of potential were showing. Jana El Alfy only scored two points but grabbed nine boards, two assists, and one blocked shot.
Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell grabbed a three, and KK Arnold scored two. Arnold’s contributions don’t make the stat sheet, but her presence is always energizing. Ice Brady only took three shots but grabbed four assists and four steals. The Huskies also limited their turnovers to eight, a marked improvement from recent games.
Only Crooks and Sydney Harris got to double figures, with Crooks scoring 22 and Harris scoring 17. Addy Brown and Emily Ryan each scored nine for the Cyclones. There were moments, particularly in the second quarter, when Iowa State looked as though they might make a bigger dent in the UConn lead. But UConn forced 14 turnovers and scored 14 points off of them. UConn only turned the ball over eight times, yielding only 4 points to the Cyclones.
Iowa State has to look beyond Crooks for scoring and find a way to have better control of the ball. The UConn defense was in excellent form which caused more than a few headaches for the Cyclones. The Huskies, however, came out strong and looked like they were having fun. This was the kind of performance that will keep UConn in the title race.
What’s Next For The Cyclones and Huskies
Up next, Iowa State heads to Stillwater, OK for a match-up with Oklahoma State, while UConn welcomes the No. 7 ranked Trojans of USC to the XL Center in Hartford. A rematch of last season’s Elite Eight pairing, the Huskies are going to need everything they display against Iowa State and more to come away with the victory.
People are looking forward to a Bueckers-JuJu Watkins meeting, but with Kiki Iriafen and Jennedy Smith in tow, the Huskies will need the production they had against Iowa State to come away with the win. Both teams are currently 10-1 and neither will want to see that loss column change.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports.
