The Iowa State women's basketball team may have needed every minute of Sunday's game against Kansas to win, but that just resulted in a high-energy and very entertaining conclusion. The nation's 10th-ranked team came close to going to overtime and potentially losing its undefeated streak when Kenzie Hare hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to close out the 79-76 victory.
Hare caught the pass from teammate Addy Brown and launched the shot over Kansas' Elle Evans, knocking down her only points of the game. Her score couldn't have come at a better time, and the Cyclones' bench swarmed Hare in celebration after she sealed the contest for her team.
Hare's last-minute effort supported the outstanding performances from her teammates, especially Audi Crooks. Crooks, who leads the country in scoring, finished with 41 points on 19-of-28 shooting to mark her third 40-point game of the season. The Jayhawks chose to guard Crooks one-on-one instead of double-teaming her, and the star junior was able to turn the matchup advantage in her favor.
Despite the close and heartbreaking loss, Kansas' head coach, Brandon Schneider, still gave his squad credit for being able to compete with the undefeated Cyclones and take them to the brink. The Jayhawks came very close to breaking their road losing streak against the Cyclones, whom they haven't beaten in Ames, Iowa, since 2015.
“Ultimately, you have to have players who are confident in themselves individually, confident in each other, and confident in their coaching staff,” Schneider said. “And I thought our team demonstrated that today. I thought we played with a lot of courage on offense and played with great urgency on defense.”
Iowa State will aim to continue its winning streak against Houston on New Year's Eve, while Kansas will take on West Virginia next on New Year's Day.
