"She folded in the clutch out there": Fans seem unhappy with Audi Crooks despite Iowa State star dropping 31 on Lucy Olsen's Hawkeyes

Iowa State Cyclones sophomore Audi Crooks has been sensational for the team this season, averaging over 20 points per game. She continued her offensive play in a clash with in-state rival Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night, dropping 31 points.

Despite Crooks' scoring outburst, the No. 18 Iowa State fell to the No. 21 Hawkeyes 75-69 in a tightly contested game. Iowa's senior guard Lucy Olsen led the way for the Hawkeyes with 25 points and 5 assists.

Audi Crooks shot 14-of-22 from the field and added 10 rebounds and 2 assists. However, some fans were not pleased with her free-throw shooting, as she went just 3-of-10 from the charity stripe. She also barely shot 3-pointers, attempting just 1 and missing it.

Here are some reactions from fans on X:

"she folded in the clutch out there," one fan wrote.

"3 for 10 is atrocious," another fan lamented.

"30% from the line? Okay man," another one complained.

Below are a few more reactions:

"My favorite player, but she needs to work on her free throw shooting," one user said.

"Needs to work on defense and conditioning. Liability defensively in the 4th and when she was tired, not very effective on offense," another one added.

"8 missed layups, 7 missed free throws, 1 crybaby flop, lost the game, can’t play 5 consecutive minutes, what a stat line, absolute BEAST," one user scoffed.

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen compliments Audi Crooks' performance

It was a tight affair between the two bitter rivals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the Iowa Hawkeyes coming out on top in the final five minutes of the game. The Cyclones were leading 61-60, but a 15-8 run in the final stretch gave Iowa the win.

Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen had nothing but praise for Audi Crooks' effort after the game.

"Audi is just a great young kid," Jan said. "She’s a kid that works like that, and she’s so big and strong. People want to say, 'Oh, she’s big,' but she’s got a beautiful touch. She does a lot of work early.

"I didn’t go into this game thinking she wasn’t going to have 30. I was hoping it was going to be in the 20s, but I didn’t think we were possibly going to shut her down completely. I think Audi’s one of those posts that’s — it’s almost hard to double her ... she’s got that beautiful, kind of Dirk Nowitzki fade."

Audi Crooks' 31 points were her second-highest scoring total of the season. She hit 33 points in the win against Drake in November. The Cyclones have an 8-3 record and will host Eastern Illinois on Sunday before heading to Connecticut to face the No. 2 UConn.