Beckett Harrison recently said that Audi scammers is ready for the championship.
Baylor head coach Nicki Collen agreed, and with that understanding, her No. 22-ranked Bears beat the No. 10-ranked Cyclones 72-70, sending Iowa State to its first loss of the season.
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After Crooks cooked as usual in the first half, putting up 22 points in the first half, Collen resorted to extreme defensive tactics to try to stop Crooks. Baylor teamed aggressively with the Crooks, sandwiching her between two defenders on every Iowa State offensive possession for much of the second half. That left Iowa State junior guard Jada Williams unguarded, with Baylor welcoming Williams’ shots on scoring opportunities for Crooks or any other Cyclone.
Williams, a sub-27 percent 3-point shooter and sub-40 percent overall shooter entering the game, accepted the challenge, shooting 17 3-pointers and 28 total shots. She made six of those 3s and scored a career-high and game-high 28 points.
But Crooks scored just four points in the second half, ending his 30-game streak by finishing with 26 points.
In addition to neutralizing Crooks on offense, Collen and Baylor exploited her on defense.
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As Beckett pointed outCrooks, for all his offensive genius, has distinct defensive disadvantages. Although Crooks pulled down 10 rebounds, she can struggle to keep opponents off the glass. Baylor frequently expanded its own offensive possession by gathering the boards, with Bears senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs doing most of the damage by grabbing 20 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds. Crooks also has limited mobility on the defensive end, with Iowa State opting to play her in conservative coverage, meaning she mostly stays around the basket. She is therefore vulnerable in ball screen actions, when the player she is defending will offer the screen to a teammate.
And that’s exactly the play Baylor ran on its final possession with the score tied at 70.
Junior guard Taliah Scott, one of the most proficient ball screen operators in the country, took advantage of Crooks’ deep drop after Williams was unable to clear the screen. Scott stepped up to the open midfield and sank the game-winner with two seconds left. Scoreless in the first half, Scott’s game-winning goal gave him a team-high 21 points on the afternoon.
With this defeat, the Cyclones became yet another undefeated to fall in the first days of 2026.
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On Saturday, No. 8 TCU lost its perfect record at Utah, losing 87-77 in overtime. Super senior point guard Olivia Miles’ 31 points, seven assists and seven rebounds weren’t enough to overcome a 9-of-39 (23%) 3-point shooting performance from the Horned Frogs.
Vanderbilt stays perfect thanks to Blakes’ big game
No. 12 Vanderbilt, however, is still among the undefeated.
Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes started strong and closed strong for the Commodores, finishing with 32 points to help Vandy pull out a win over No. 5 LSU, 65-61. The Commodores are off to their best start since the 1992-93 season, which ended with a trip to the Four Four.
Freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan, who made a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left to put Vanderbilt back for good, added 14 points, persevering through consistent defensive pressure from LSU junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley.
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Ultimately, it was the Tigers who succumbed to the pressurelosing their second straight SEC game after starting the season 14-0. Although LSU won the rebounding battle, which was their downfall against Kentucky on Thursday, they coughed up the ball 22 times, with the giveaways contributing to the Tigers’ inability to extend their 28-22 halftime lead.
Fulwiley, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time during her tenure at LSU, led the team with 13 points, although she committed a team-high five turnovers. Junior guard Mikaylah Williams added 12 points, but senior guard Flau’Jae Johnson played just 19 minutes and was held scoreless for the first time in her career. After the game, head coach Kim Mulkey said she was dealing with an ankle injury.
Although neither team shot well, Vanderbilt’s ability to get more free throws, along with taking 27 3-pointers to LSU’s seven, helped them make the extra points needed to win and stay perfect.
