Bill Fennelly Provides Positive Update on Status of Iowa State Cyclones Star

Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball head coach Bill Fennelly shared a positive injury update on one of his star players.

Iowa State Cyclones' women's basketball head coach Bill Fennelly reacts from the bench during the second quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball Cy-Hawk Series on Dec. 10, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been finding a lot of success on the hardwood in both men’s and women’s basketball.

Both squads are currently ranked in the top 10 of their respective AP Polls, with the men’s team landing at No. 4 and the women’s holding steady at No. 10. They are both undefeated, at 11-0 and 12-0, respectively, and will be taking the court on Sunday for their next games.

Before T.J. Otzelberger leads his team against the Long Beach State Beach, Bill Fennelly and his ladies will be taking the court at Hilton Coliseum against the Kansas State Wildcats for their first Big 12 game of the season.

Luckily for the Cyclones, they will be taking the court at full strength. As shared by Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, star center Audi Crooks is going to be making her return to the lineup.

Audi Crooks set to return for Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones' center Audi Crooks (55) celebrates after winning 74-69 over Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball Cy-Hawk Series on Dec. 10, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fennelly revealed that his star was able to return to practice on Thursday, revealing that she will be back. Crooks suffered a head injury the last time she was able to play on Dec. 10 against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

She was able to help Iowa State take home the victory in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, scoring 30 points on 13 of 20 from the field, adding 10 rebounds and one block in 36 minutes of play. It was her third straight game reaching the 30-point plateau, and fourth time this season.

That streak began on Nov. 30 when she scored a career-high 47 points, breaking the program’s single-game record that she held.

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly gives injury update for Audi Crooks https://t.co/vW4uRK0Zyf

— Cyclone Insider (@DMRCyclones) December 19, 2025

Unfortunately, the injury was bad enough that it knocked Crooks out of the lineup for another in-state rivalry game against the Northern Iowa Panthers. It didn’t slow the team down much, winning 81-53 despite not having the nation’s leading scorer.

Their star is averaging 27.8 points per game, making 72.2% of her shots, which is the best mark in the Big 12. Her 72.6% on 2-point attempts and 72.2% effective field goal percentage are both the best in the conference as well. She has made 122 field goals and 306 total points are both No. 1 in the nation, too.

Her hot start to the campaign put her in rare company as well, scoring at an incredibly efficient rate. Slowing Crooks down has proved to be a near-impossible task for opponents, helping elevate the Iowa State women’s team to new heights.

As long as she remains healthy, the Cyclones are going to be one of the best teams in the country.