2025–26 Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team
| 2025–26 Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball | |
|---|---|
Coconut Hoops Blue Heron Division champions | |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 10 |
| AP | No. 10 |
| Record | 13–0 (1–0 Big 12) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Jodi Steyer |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Hilton Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 14 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Texas Tech | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 14 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Iowa State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8т TCU | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | – | 1 | .923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | – | 2 | .857 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 2 | .846 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 10 | – | 3 | .769 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Baylor | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 10 | – | 3 | .769 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 9 | – | 4 | .692 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 5 | – | 8 | .385 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Big 12 tournament winner As of December 22, 2025 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team represents Iowa State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cyclones, led by thirty-first year head coach Bill Fennelly, play their home games at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa as members of the Big 12 Conference.
Previous season
The Cyclones finished the 2024–25 season 23–12, 12–6 in Big 12 play, to finish in seventh place. As No. 7 seed in the Big 12 women's tournament, they defeated Arizona State in the second round before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the Birmingham Region 3 where they defeated Princeton in the first four before losing to Michigan in the first round.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lily Hansford | 6 | G | 6'2" | Junior | DePere, WI | Transferred to Green Bay |
| Emily Ryan | 11 | G | 5'11" | Graduate Student | Claflin, KS | Graduated |
| Kelsey Joens | 23 | G | 5'10" | Sophomore | Iowa City, IA | Transferred to Villanova |
Incoming
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelia Paulk | 5 | F/G | 6'0" | Junior | Asheville, NC | Wofford |
| Jada Williams | 8 | G | 5'8" | Junior | Kansas City, MO | Arizona |
Recruiting
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reese Beaty PG |
Jamestown, TN | Alvin C York Institute | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | N/A | Apr 6, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: 247Sports: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Recruiting class of 2026
| College recruiting information (2026) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Macy Comito PG |
Carlisle, IA | Carlisle High School | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (91) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 28, 2025* 6:30 p.m. |
No. 14 | UW–Oshkosh | W 84–53 | 24 – Crooks | 7 – Crooks | 7 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (8,985) Ames, IA | ||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ |
No. 14 | St. Thomas | W 85–36 | 1–0 |
20 – Crooks | 6 – Brown | 6 – Brown | Hilton Coliseum (10,012) Ames, IA | |||
| November 5, 2025* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 14 | Southern | W 85–58 | 2–0 |
29 – Crooks | 14 – Crooks | 8 – Brown | Hilton Coliseum (8,908) Ames, IA | |||
| November 9, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 14 | Sacred Heart | W 99–34 | 3–0 |
21 – Crooks | 9 – Brown | 8 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (8,977) Ames, IA | |||
| November 12, 2025* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 16 | Valparaiso | W 97–50 | 4–0 |
43 – Crooks | 7 – Tied | 10 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (8,954) Ames, IA | |||
| November 16, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 16 | Norfolk State | W 98–52 | 5–0 |
19 – Crooks | 12 – A. Williams | 11 – Brown | Hilton Coliseum (9,145) Ames, IA | |||
| November 20, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 12 | at Drake | W 87–60 | 6–0 |
22 – Crooks | 15 – Brown | 7 – Brown | Knapp Center (4,026) Des Moines, IA | |||
| November 23, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 12 | Mercyhurst | W 112–62 | 7–0 |
27 – Crooks | 9 – Brown | 8 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (9,581) Ames, IA | |||
| November 28, 2025* 10:00 a.m., FloHoops |
No. 10 | vs. Marquette Coconut Hoops Blue Heron Division semifinals |
W 84–73 | 8–0 |
18 – Tied | 11 – J. Williams | 6 – Brown | Alico Arena (553) Fort Myers, FL | |||
| November 30, 2025* 12:30 p.m., FloHoops |
No. 10 | vs. Indiana Coconut Hoops Blue Heron Division Championship Game |
W 106–95 | 9–0 |
47 – Crooks | 10 – Brown | 11 – J. Williams | Alico Arena (744) Fort Myers, FL | |||
| December 7, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 10 | Northern Illinois | W 105–52 | 10–0 |
30 – Crooks | 8 – Brown | 9 – Brown | Hilton Coliseum (9,538) Ames, IA | |||
| December 10, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN |
No. 10 | No. 11 Iowa Rivalry/Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series/Jimmy V Classic |
W 74–69 | 11–0 |
30 – Crooks | 12 – Brown | 12 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (14,009) Ames, IA | |||
| December 14, 2025* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 10 | Northern Iowa | W 81–53 | 12–0 |
28 – Brown | 12 – Brown | 8 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (10,032) Ames, IA | |||
| Big 12 Conference regular season | |||||||||||
| December 21, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 10 | Kansas | W 79–76 | 13–0 (1–0) |
41 – Crooks | 8 – Brown | 10 – J. Williams | Hilton Coliseum (10,699) Ames, IA | |||
| December 31, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Houston | Fertitta Center Houston, TX | |||||||||
| January 4, 2026 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Baylor | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| January 7, 2026 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Cincinnati | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH | |||||||||
| January 11, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
West Virginia | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| January 14, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Colorado | CU Events Center Boulder, CO | |||||||||
| January 18, 2026 12:00 p.m., FOX/FS1 |
at Oklahoma State | Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, OK | |||||||||
| January 21, 2026 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Cincinnati | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| January 24, 2026 3:00 p.m., FS1 |
Arizona | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| January 28, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Texas Tech | United Supermarkets Arena Lubbock, TX | |||||||||
| January 31, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UCF | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| February 7, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Utah | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, UT | |||||||||
| February 10, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at BYU | Marriott Center Provo, UT | |||||||||
| February 15, 2026 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Kansas State | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| February 18, 2026 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Arizona State | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| February 22, 2026 3:00 p.m., ESPN |
at TCU | Schollmaier Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||||||||
| February 25, 2026 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Oklahoma State | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA | |||||||||
| March 1, 2026 1:00 p.m., FS1 |
at Kansas State | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, KS | |||||||||
| Big 12 Conference tournament | |||||||||||
| March 4–8, 2026 TBA |
vs. | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO | |||||||||
Source:[1]
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Coaches | 17 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ "2025–26 Women's Basketball Schedule". cyclones.com. Retrieved October 6, 2025.