STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Audi Crooks grabbed the Iowa State title plate and emphatically positioned it on the massive NCAA Event bracket board, into the house for the second spherical.
She completely earned the possibility to take action.
“That was so enjoyable, my teammates soaked me in water,” she mentioned, nonetheless grinning from ear to ear some half-hour later. “I’m simply excited to have the ability to have one other recreation with these ladies, with this group. It is a particular crew and I simply didn’t need it to finish.”
The freshman star scored a career-high 40 factors on 18-for-20 capturing in her sensational NCAA Event debut, and No. 7-seed Iowa State hit all the massive pictures within the second half to rally from 20 factors down and beat Tenth-seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday night time.
Crooks joined Invoice Walton as the one gamers in NCAA Event historical past to attain 40 factors on no less than 90% capturing after Walton did so for UCLA within the 1973 title recreation, in keeping with OptaSTATS.
The 20-point comeback marked the second-largest all-time in an NCAA Event recreation trailing solely Texas A&M overcoming a 21-point deficit to beat Penn in 2017.
“I assumed that was probably the most entertaining video games I’ve ever been part of,” Iowa State coach Invoice Fennelly mentioned, praising his crew’s poise to cost again. “So pleased with our crew, ecstatic for them.”
Preventing tears, Crooks shared how she takes a second earlier than each recreation to be religious, pray, and keep in mind her father Jimmie who died when she was 16 in 2021. She dedicated to Iowa State shortly after that, and Fennelly even went to her favourite Mexican meals restaurant in the course of the recruiting course of and it’s not his favourite fare.
“I’m simply grateful, I can’t say thanks sufficient to the those that I’m surrounded by,” Crooks mentioned. “If you’re surrounded by folks that you simply love, that care about you, that belief you as a lot as they do getting you the ball, that speaks volumes to how we play as a unit.”
Emily Ryan knocked down a key 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining and completed with 18 factors whereas shelling out 14 assists as Iowa State stored pounding the ball inside to the ever-reliable Crooks — even when it led to a handful of late turnovers.
Crooks, this system’s first freshman to earn AP All-America honors along with her honorable point out choice this week, got here in main the crew averaging 18.9 factors and seven.7 rebounds and have become the sixteenth participant to attain 40 or extra this season. She had 12 rebounds towards Maryland.
“She dropped 40 on 20 pictures, that’s fairly eye-popping proper there,” Ryan mentioned of stating the stat sheet to her teammate. “It was a particular night time for her in addition to our crew. It couldn’t have occurred to a greater individual. … Once we throw it in there she will get it each time.”
Allie Kubek knocked down all 5 of her 3-pointers within the first half and completed with seven from lengthy vary on the best way to a season-best 29 factors, and it appeared like Maryland would possibly run away from the Cyclones.
As an alternative, it’s Iowa State (21-11) advancing to play Sunday for a spot within the Portland Regional. The Cyclones will face second-seeded Stanford (29-5) after the Cardinal beat No. 15 Norfolk State 79-50 in Friday’s late recreation at Maples Pavilion.
Kelsey Joens hit a tying 3-pointer with 3:20 left within the third quarter as Iowa State used a 10-0 run to get again within the recreation and Crooks’ three-point play on the 2:50 mark put the Cyclones forward 62-61 earlier than she scored once more the following time down.
Kubek’s sizzling hand from 3-point vary obtained Maryland (19-14) going early from the perimeter and the Terrapins needed to attempt to make issues robust on 6-foot-3 Crooks within the low put up as she got here in capturing an NCAA-best 58.4% from the ground.
“I’d say it’s among the finest I’ve ever seen contemplating the factors, the effectivity, the venue, the occasion,” Fennelly mentioned.
Maryland made 9 3s within the first half, its most in any half this season — and the 11 complete 3s have been the Terrapins’ excessive.
This was a training reunion between shut mates. Fennelly employed now-Terrapins coach Brenda Frese on his first employees in Ames and she or he stayed with this system from 1995-99. They posed for a photograph earlier than the sport.
“It’s terrible, Brenda’s a part of my household,” Fennelly mentioned of beating his expensive good friend.
The packages had by no means met beforehand — and Frese’s crew reached its 14th straight NCAA Event after an upset of Ohio State within the Huge Ten Event earlier than dropping to Nebraska.
“We’re actually dissatisfied and unhappy for our fifth-year seniors that we couldn’t shut this out,” mentioned Frese, whose groups had by no means misplaced within the first spherical throughout her tenure courting to 2002.
Maryland hit six fast 3s and 10 of 13 pictures out of the gate for a 33-20 lead after the opening quarter.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: The Terrapins shot 70.6% within the first interval making 6 of seven 3s and the 33 factors have been their most in any quarter of an NCAA Event recreation. Additionally they stored possessions alive with hustle performs and by crashing the boards to create second possibilities. … Throughout the time Frese coached underneath Fennelly, Iowa State reached three NCAA Tournaments and the Elite Eight in 1999. Frese’s sister, Stacy, performed for Fennelly from 1997-2000.
Iowa State: Crooks additionally grew to become simply the fourth participant in Iowa State program historical past to attain 40 factors in a recreation — and the efficiency marked essentially the most factors in an NCAA debut within the final 25 years. … The Cyclones trailed 52-36 at halftime and overcame 17 turnovers, helped by a 36-25 rebounding benefit.
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AP March Insanity bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness