Iowa State's women's basketball team secured a win over Texas Tech on Tuesday in a game where the Cyclones didn't hit a single shot from behind the arc. That's the first time the team hasn't made at least one three-pointer in a game since 1995, but Audi Crooks didn't seem too worried about the end of a 945-game streak that's now officially a record to beat.
The three-point line is a relatively new addition to college basketball when you consider it wasn't introduced until the season that kicked off in 1986, and there are certain teams that have historically taken advantage of the deep ball more than others.
That includes UNLV, which made its first three-pointer against Arizona in its season opener that year and has not gone a single contest without recording at least one trey in the 1,209 games it's played since then after the Runnin' Rebels kept the streak alive by drilling six of them in a 68-64 win over Boise State on Tuesday night.
That's the mark to beat as far as men's basketball is concerned, but the women's squad at Iowa State boasted a similarly impressive run of their own when you consider they were riding a 945-game heater heading into Tuesday's showdown with Texas Tech.
Iowa State's loss to Missouri on February 15, 1995 marked the last time the Cyclones were blanked from long range, and while they were able to walk away with a 71-58 win over the Raiders, their historic run came to an end after none of the five players who shot the seven threes they collectively attempted during the contest were able to convert.
That quintet included Audi Crooks, the 6'3'' standout center who is known for getting things done in the paint as opposed to outside (she actually boasted a .313 three-point percentage last season after going 5-for-16 but dropped to 0-8 this year after missing her one attempt against Texas Tech).
Crooks once again led her team to victory with the game-high 28 points she put up while hauling in nine rebounds, and after the victory, both she and Addy Brown admitted they weren't aware the streak was in jeopardy before learning their team was responsible for bringing it to an end.
Brown issued an apology to Cyclone Nation before Crooks did the same prior to hedging a bit, saying:
"Sorry, but also not. The streak is cool, but at the same time, we're able to win basketball games by scoring only in the paint and from the free-throw line -- 21 points from the free-throw line, are you kidding me? That's crazy.
But I also do understand the tradition and the value in that streak and we do apologize, but the paint was working tonight."
Iowa State will have the chance to start things over again when they face off against West Virginia on Sunday.