STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Audi Crooks grabbed the Iowa State nameplate and placed it emphatically in the second round space on the large NCAA Tournament bracket board.
She definitely grabbed that chance.
“It was so much fun. My teammates dipped me in the water,” she said, still smiling broadly after about 30 minutes. “I'm excited to play again with this group and these girls. This is a special team and I didn't want it to end.”
The freshman star had a sensational NCAA Tournament debut, scoring a career-high 40 points on 18-of-20 shooting, and seventh-seeded Iowa State made all its big shots in the second half to rally from a 20-point deficit. Beat 10th place. – Seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday night.
According to OptaSTATS, Crooks joins Bill Walton as the only players in NCAA Tournament history to score 40 points on over 90 percent shooting, after Walton scored 40 points in the 1973 title game against UCLA. became.
The 20-point comeback was the second-best in an NCAA Tournament game, behind Texas A&M, which overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat Penn in 2017.
“I thought that was one of the most entertaining games I've ever been a part of,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said, praising his team's readiness to fight back. “I’m so proud of our team and so happy for them.”
Fighting back tears, Crooks talked about how he gets spiritual before every game, prays and remembers his father, Jimmy, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 16. Shortly after, she committed to Iowa State University, and Fennelly also went to her favorite university in Mexico. During the recruitment process we went to a restaurant and it wasn't his favorite cuisine.
“I'm just so grateful. I can't thank the people around me enough,” Crooks said. “When you're surrounded by people you love, people who care about you, people who trust you as much as they want you to take the ball from them, that speaks volumes about how you play as a team.”
Emily Ryan made a crucial 3-pointer with 6:06 left, and despite leading to several turnovers late, Iowa State continued to pound the ball inside to its ever-reliable Crooks. He finished with 18 points while recording 14 assists.
Crooks, the program's first freshman to earn honorable mention and AP All-America honors this week, led the team with averages of 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, becoming the 16th player to score 40 or more points this season. She had 12 rebounds against Maryland.
“She dropped 40 points on 20 shots, which is just remarkable,” Ryan said as he showed his teammates the stat sheet. “It was a special night for her and for our team. It couldn't have happened to a better person. … When we throw it out there, she always takes it.” ”
Aly Kubek sank all five of his 3-pointers and made seven long-range shots in the first half for a season-best 29 points, and it looked like Maryland would be able to escape the Cyclones.
Instead, Iowa State (21-11) advances to play for a spot in the Portland region on Sunday. The Cyclones will face second-seeded Stanford (29-5) after the Cardinal defeated No. 15 Norfolk State 79-50 in Friday's closing game at Maples Pavilion.
Iowa State went on a 10-0 run to take the game back, then Kelsey Jones hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third quarter, and Crooks' 3-point play with 2:50 left put the Cyclones at 62 points. led. -61 until they score again on the next down.
Kubek's 3-pointer set up a hot hand, Maryland (19-14) got some early shots from the perimeter, and the Terrapins had a tough time in the low post with the 6-foot-3 Crooks, who had the best shot in the NCAA. It was necessary to make. 58.4% from the floor.
“I would say this is one of the best tournaments I've ever seen, considering the points, the efficiency, the venue and the event,” Fennelly said.
Maryland made nine threes in the first half, the most in a first half this season, and its 11 threes were the most for the Terrapins.
This was a coaching reunion between close friends.. Fennelly hired current Terrapins coach Brenda Frese as his first staff member in Ames, and she was with the program from 1995 to 1999. They took pictures before the match.
“It's terrible. Brenda is part of my family,” Fennelly said of hitting her close friend.
The programs had never faced each other before, and Frese's team reached the NCAA Tournament for 14 straight years before losing to Nebraska after an upset of Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.
“I'm really disappointed and sad for our fifth-year seniors that we couldn't get this shutout,” said Frese, whose team never lost in the first round during his tenure dating back to 2002.
Maryland made six quick threes and hit 10 of 13 shots from the gate to take a 33-20 lead after the first quarter.
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Maryland: The Terrapins shot 70.6% in the first period, making 6 of 7 3s, and their 33 points were the most in any quarter of an NCAA Tournament game. They also maintained possession through hustle plays and crashing the boards to create second chances. … While Frese coached under Fennelly, Iowa State won his three NCAA tournaments and advanced to the Elite Eight in 1999. Frese's younger sister Stacy played for Fennelly from 1997 until she 2000.
Iowa State University: Crooks became the fourth player in Iowa State program history to score 40 points in a game, a performance that marked the most points for an NCAA debut in the past 25 years. … The Cyclones led 52-36 at halftime but overcame 17 turnovers, helped by a 36-25 rebounding advantage.
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ And scope of application: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
