STANFORD, Calif. – Not many individuals, a minimum of exterior of the Iowa State ladies’s basketball crew’s locker room, anticipated the rebuilding Cyclones to do a lot this season. Iowa State and its roster filled with freshmen stunned groups throughout the nation with their run to the Massive 12 Convention Event title recreation and at-large bid to the NCAA Event.
That shock season got here to an finish Sunday evening as 2-seed Stanford held off 7-seed Iowa State 87-81 in extra time in an NCAA Event second-round recreation at Maples Pavilion. Iowa State completed its season with a 21-12 mark and was a play or two away from delivering a monumental upset. The Cyclones gave Stanford all it may deal with after which some.
“No person thought we have been going to be something, let’s be sincere, and right here we’re going into extra time with Stanford,” stated Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks. “Are you kidding me?”
Iowa State level guard Emily Ryan poured in a career-high 36 factors and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Cyclones, who led 33-31 at halftime and have been tied with Stanford heading into the fourth quarter. The back-and-forth battle included 18 lead adjustments and 12 ties. The Cyclones led late within the fourth quarter and in extra time. However Iowa State could not end the job in opposition to a Stanford squad that obtained a game-high 41 factors from Kiki Iriafen.
“They’ve a number of expertise on their crew and he or she had a kind of nights tonight,” Ryan stated. “There wasn’t a lot we may do to cease her. Each time we tried to do one thing, she countered it with a robust transfer or one thing completely different.”
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Regardless of the massive evening from Iriafen and with Crooks, Iowa State’s largest scoring star, battling foul bother a lot of the evening, Iowa State refused to go away. The Cyclones shot 63.2% (12-of-19) from 3-point vary and obtained huge basket after huge basket. One of many largest got here from Iowa State freshman Addy Brown, whose layup with 1 minute and 11 seconds remaining in regulation tied the sport 66-66.
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The Cyclones had two possibilities to take one other lead. However a missed shot by Brown and a layup try by Crooks that was off the mark stored the sport tied. A missed shot on the buzzer by Iriafen despatched the sport to extra time.
“I feel we have been excited to nonetheless be within the recreation and going into extra time,” Brown stated. “We had them the place we wished them.”
Brown, who completed with 15 factors, swished a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to provide Iowa State an 81-80 lead. Stanford took it proper again on a 3-pointer by Brooke Demetre. Iowa State obtained the ball again with 18.4 seconds remaining however could not capitalize, with Brown lacking a layup. Iowa State was compelled to foul. Demetre gave the Cardinal a 85-81 lead with a pair of made free throws.
“We simply could not end it out within the final section of extra time there,” Brown stated. “We gave them all the pieces we had.”
It wasn’t sufficient as Stanford hit its closing six pictures of the sport from the sphere and closed out the sport with a 7-0 run.
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Iowa State was with out Crooks, the star freshman who scored 40 factors in a first-round recreation, for a lot of the extra time interval after fouling out. She completed the sport taking pictures simply 3-of-21 from the sphere and ended with 10 factors. Dropping her drastically modified Iowa State’s offensive strategy.
“We run a number of completely different stuff when Audi’s within the recreation,” coach Invoice Fennelly stated.
Whereas the tip was a disappointment for the Cyclones, there was nonetheless a lot to be comfortable about in a season full of peculiar moments.
“I have not had this a lot enjoyable teaching in a very long time,” Fennelly stated.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports activities enterprise and options reporter, has been working on the newspaper since 2008. He is the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Yr. Attain him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.