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Iowa State women's basketball coach Bill Fennelly said star center Audi Crooks remains in return-to-play protocol following a head injury and that the Cyclones are taking a cautious, day-to-day approach as she works toward a possible return.
Fennelly said there are still benchmarks Crooks must meet before she can get back on the court.
"Every day is different," he said, as reported by Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. "You've got to do this. Every day they have to show improvement. So we'll probably know by the end of the week. But hopefully that she'll be back."
Crooks missed Iowa State's 81-53 win over Northern Iowa Dec. 14 after being injured during the Cyclones' 74-69 victory over then-No. 12 Iowa Dec. 10 at Hilton Coliseum. Crooks scored 30 points in that win, though the school has not disclosed when the injury occurred.
Crooks wanted to play in the final nonconference game but Fennelly said he was unwilling to risk her health.
"She's still mad at me because we didn't play her but we're not doing that," he said.
Crooks is the leading scorer in Division I women's basketball, averaging 27.8 points a game.
Iowa State improved to 12-0 with the win over Northern Iowa, the Cyclones' best start since the 2013-14 season. Alisa Williams made her first career start in Crooks' place and scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Addy Brown scored 28 points, including 21 in the first half, while Jada Williams added 10 points and eight assists.
The Cyclones shot 12 of 29 from 3-point range, scored 22 points off 16 Northern Iowa turnovers, and assisted on 20 of their 30 made field goals.
Northern Iowa fell to 4-6 despite 13 points from Abby Tuttle. The Panthers travel to St. Thomas on Sunday. Iowa State opens Big 12 play Sunday against Kansas.
Reporting by Zander White of the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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