Jada Williams' strong second half helps Iowa State hold off Kansas State Sunday at Hilton

AMES — Jada Williams darted and dribbled, sprinting, then hesitating as the clock wound down.

The score: Iowa State 72, Kansas State 70.

The moment: Tense, as the game’s 24 seconds began ticking away and the Wildcats desperately tried to trap Williams to force a turnover instead of taking their last timeout.

The strategy: Futile, as Williams evaded capture until 14.4 seconds remained, and calmly drilled two free throws before sinking two more to give the Cyclones a nerve-fraying 76-72 win Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.

“I used to play tag when I was little,” said Williams, who scored 16 of her team-high 22 points in the second half. “So, catch me if you can.”

ISU (20-6, 8-6 Big 12) fended off several Kansas State (14-13, 7-7) bids to catch up in the closing moments, but never trailed in the final 27 minutes of the game.

The Wildcats whittled the Cyclones’ 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter to just one, at 69-68, with 1:19 left, but ISU’s Kenzie Hare swished her second 3-pointer to help keep them at bay. It was just the third field goal attempt for Hare, but she finished with nine points.

“Probably the most efficient three shots ever,” said Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly, whose team has won six of its past seven games. “But she’s accepted that role on our team.”

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Audi Crooks added 20 points and nine rebounds for ISU and Arianna Jackson chipped in 11 points — including a 3-pointer that put her team up 40-34 early in the third quarter. Williams and Crooks took over after that, combining to score 24 straight points for the Cyclones.

“We got the pick and roll game going pretty early on and (Williams) was able to hit from the mid range, so we just kept doing it,” said Crooks, who scored in double figures for the 92nd consecutive game.

Williams and Crooks also shined at the free-throw line — an area where ISU’s been unusually erratic this season. Williams made all 12 of her free throw attempts. Crooks went 8-for-10 at the line and the Cyclones drained 25 of 28 there overall.

“I’ve been putting up a lot of extra free throws (in practice) just because I should be 100 percent from the line,” Williams said. “Growing up, my mom always told me, ‘Free shots, you’ve gotta make those,’ so just being confident; once I see one go in, I’m good.”

And once she had the ball with 24 seconds left, she wasn’t going to be trapped. The Wildcats tried to catch her, but they couldn’t as Fennelly secured his 19th 20-win season before a satisfied crowd of 10,746.

Williams also dished out nine assists, grabbed five rebounds and lost eight turnovers — with six coming in the first half.

“As crazy as she drives me sometimes, and some of the decisions that she makes, the kid wants to win more than maybe most players I’ve ever been around,” Fennelly said. “So it’s like, if we’re gonna win, I’m gonna do it. And sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it’s not, but I wouldn’t trade her for anyone.”

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