For the third night of Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball it was all about the women. There were no men’s games and four different women’s teams were in action.
That included two of the conference’s ranked teams — No. 14 Iowa State and No. 22 Oklahoma State. Kansas and its vaunted freshman class debuted while BYU played its first game under new head coach Lee Cummard.
BYU went off in his debut, beating Coastal Carolina, 91-57. Delaney Gibb wasn’t even the star of the show as she had 12 points. Lara Rohkohl had a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), Brinley Cannon led with 16 points, Sydney Benally had 11 assists and two other players hit double figures — Olivia Harlin with 13 points and Arielle Mackey-Williams with 12 points.
Here is what we learned about Big 12 basketball on Nov. 5.
THAT’S HOW AUDI ROLLS
So, this is a fun streak, as highlighted by Big 12 women’s basketball analyst Rachel Galligan.
Crooks made it 69 straight games in Iowa State’s 85-58 win over Southern in the Cyclones’ home opener. Southern gave ISU a bit of a game early, but the Jaguars had no one that could deal with Crooks inside. She dropped 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. It was a brilliant start for the junior.
Now, can she catch Griner? It’s all about the postseason and staying healthy. She needs 47 more games like that to catch Griner and 48 to pass her. She could do that by the end of her senior year.
Oh, and this, too.
There’s a reason she was Big 12 preseason player of the year.
Addy Brown and Jada Williams — the latter making her Cyclones debut after transferring from Arizona — combined for 12 assists. Notably, Williams had 17 points. She looks like a snug fit in this offense.
As for the other starters, coach Bill Fennelly went with Arianna Jackson and guard Mackenzie Hare, the latter a player he’s really high on to make an impact from the 3-point line.
KU’S FRESHMAN CLASS DEBUTS
Wednesday was the night we saw Kansas’ vaunted freshman class debut.
That includes forward Jaliya Davis, a five-star recruit who was ranked No. 19 in the country per ESPNW; guard Keeley Parks, another five-star player who was ranked No. 31 in the country per ESPNW; guard Libby Fandel, a four-star who was ranked No. 43 in the country per ESPNW; and forward Tatyonna Brown, a four-star player.
It ended up being holdover forward Regan Williams that stole the show. The sophomore, who averaged nine points per game last season, dropped 18 points on UMKC in a 74-64 win that was closer than it should have been. Williams was key, as she shot 8-for-12 from the floor and had eight rebounds.
Junior S’Mya Nichols led KU with 21 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and seven assists. She left late in the game with an apparent injury but was moving freely in the postgame handshake line, indicating she dodged anything serious.
As for the freshmen? Davis had 10 points, Parks had two points, Fandel had two points and Brown had one point. The adjustment to major college basketball is real. Fortunately, the Jayhawks shot 57% and were able to hold off a 29-point night from UMKC’s Emani Bennett.
OKLAHOMA STATE LOSES MACEY HUARD
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls cruised past East Texas A&M, 97-59. It was the Cowgirls’ second game in three days, and Haleigh Timmer led them with 22 points. But it’s what happened earlier in the day that caught my eye.
The Cowgirls lost guard Macey Huard to foot surgery. OSU didn’t provide an official release on its web site, but it’s safe to say they’ll be without her for a while. Huard was hoping for a bigger role after averaging 5.9 points per game a season ago. It’s a blow to OSU’s depth and to Huard’s career. The good news is a redshirt is likely, which would give her two years of eligibility.
