Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State Star Wins Big 12 Player of Week Award With Historic Performances

The Big 12 Player of the Week Award went to an Iowa State Cyclones women's player who dominated on the hardwood.
Kenneth Teape|
Iowa State Cyclones' guard Jada Williams (8) celebrates after making a three-point shot against Arizona during the second quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball on Jan. 24, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State Cyclones' guard Jada Williams (8) celebrates after making a three-point shot against Arizona during the second quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball on Jan. 24, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa State Cyclones

The Iowa State Cyclones women’s basketball team started the 2025-26 season on fire, winning their first 14 games.

Unfortunately, they hit a major skid after that. The Cyclones would lose five consecutive games to the Baylor Bears, Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Colorado Buffaloes and Oklahoma State Cowboys.

That dropped Iowa State out of the AP Poll Top 25 for the first time this season. Looking for answers on the court, one of the team’s star players stepped up in a major way to help break the losing streak.

And it wasn’t Audi Crooks, their star center, who is averaging 26.3 points per game to lead women’s basketball. Instead, it was junior guard Jada Williams, who transferred into the program from the Arizona Wildcats, who raised her game to another level.

Jada Wiliams named Big 12 Player of the Week

The Cyclones were able to win both of their games last week, defeating the Bearcats and the Wildcats. Williams was a driving force behind the team’s success, making some incredible history in the process.

Against Cincinnati in a 93-68 victory, Williams scored a career-high 44 points. That is the most points scored by a single player in the history of Hilton Coliseum and the most by an Iowa State player in Big 12 history.

Along with the explosive scoring output, she added eight assists, accounting for 62 out of the team’s 93 points. That 67% involvement rate is the highest in a game by any Division I player this season.

Against Arizona, her former team, Williams scored a team-high 19 points with seven assists, leading the Cyclones to a 90-65 win. Her averages of 31.5 points and 7.5 assists per game both led the Big 12 during last week’s slate of games.

While playing 32 minutes per contest, she made 23 of 33 shots in the two games, coming out to an impressive 69.7% shooting. She made seven of 12 3-point attempts and went 10 of 15 from the foul line.

Three steals were added to round out her impressive stat line. On the season, Williams is averaging 13.9 points, which is second on the team behind Crooks, and a Big 12-leading 7.6 assists per game. She is also pulling down 3.2 rebounds and recording 1.1 steals in 27.9 minutes of action.

Her and Iowa State will be back in action on Jan. 28. They are heading on the road to Lubbock, Texas, to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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