AMES – With Iowa State women’s basketball clinging to a three-point lead in the second quarter, Cyclones star Addy Brown caught a pass from near the top of the key and looked around for an open teammate.
Brown found Sydney Harris standing wide open on the other side of the floor and fired a pass to her teammate.
Advertisement
Harris, who came off the bench to provide a spark for the Cyclones, caught the ball and quickly fired up a shot that swished through the net. The bucket gave Iowa State much-needed points and the first bit of momentum against non-conference foe Southern.
Iowa State Cyclones’ guard/forward Sydney Harris (25) takes a three-point shot against Southern during the first quarter on Nov. 5, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum, Ames.
That 3-pointer by Harris jump-started a 15-0 run that ended up being the difference-maker as No. 17 Iowa State overcame a slow start and rolled to an 85-58 victory over Southern at Hilton Coliseum on Nov. 5. With the victory, the Cyclones improved to 2-0 on the young season.
Audi Crooks scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Cyclones and Jada Williams added 17. But it was Harris, a role player, who came up with some of the biggest baskets of the night. She finished with eight points. And the first few were important.
Advertisement
Two days after dominating St. Thomas in its season opener, Iowa State struggled out of the gate against Southern. The Cyclones missed all three of their first-quarter 3-pointers and allowed an athletic and energetic Southern team to stay in the game. The Jaguars even tied the game, 14-14, on a jumper by Zaria Hurston.
Iowa State regained the lead on a pair of free throws by Kenzie Hare at the end of the first quarter. Southern’s Mykayla Cunningham sank 1-of-2 free throws to cut Iowa State’s lead to 20-17 in the second quarter.
More: Iowa State women’s basketball takeaways, Audi Crooks’ work at the free-throw line pays off
But that’s when the Cyclones got going.
Advertisement
The Cyclones explored for 15-straight points and closed out the half on a 21-4 run to take control of the game. Harris not only got the run started, but kept it going by knocking down another 3-pointer to extend Iowa State’s lead to 26-17. Brown followed with a jumper and Arianna Jackson hit another shot from beyond the arc. Crooks capped it off with a pair of free throws and a layup to give Iowa State a 35-17 lead.
The Cyclones rolled from there with Crooks, who had a double-double secured by the third quarter, leading the way. A fourth-quarter layup banked in by Crooks gave the center her 1,500th career point and pushed Iowa State’s lead to 70-41.
Despite an off-night shooting, Brown still filled the stat sheet and finished with six points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Iowa State has a chance to cap off its first week of the season with another win. The Cyclones host Sacred Heart on Nov. 9 at Hilton Coliseum at 1 p.m.
Advertisement
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Second quarter run powers Iowa State women’s basketball over Southern
