(Stanford, CA) – In the second-biggest comeback in NCAA Women’s Tournament history, the Iowa State Cyclones were able to clip their way back into the game and beat Maryland 93-86. Iowa State was down by at least 20 points before heading into halftime in the game.
After the Cyclones were down leading into halftime, Iowa State came out into the third quarter ready to roll. Kelsey Joens, Emily Ryan, and Audi Crooks helped to carry Iowa State back in the third quarter by driving into the lane and getting to the charity stripe where they tied things up at 59-59 with 3:20 left in the third quarter of action. Iowa State and Maryland continued to go back and forth until the six-minute mark when Iowa State was able to lead throughout the entire rest of the fourth quarter. It all came down to free throws for ISU where they struggled but prevailed with a victory. It was all about the pride of Iowa State basketball for Audi Crooks and what Head Coach Bill Fennelly said to the group at halftime.
Iowa State was led on the night by Audi Crooks who had a double-double with a game-high 40 points and 12 rebounds while only missing two shots on the night, shooting an impressive 18-20 from the field. This marked a new career-high in scoring for the freshman. Her 40 points and shooting percentage of 90% matches that of UCLA’s Bill Walton back in the 1973 Championship game.
Sitting right behind Crooks was Emily Ryan who shot 50% from the field and scored 18 points while dishing out a game-high 14 assists. She was a critical player on the night for the Cyclones who controlled the hardwood in the second half for ISU and was a true leader on the floor. Kelsey Joens saw a spark shine out on the floor with a total of 12 points while shooting 50% from the field and also grabbed three rebounds. The last double-digit scorer for Iowa State was Hannah Belanger who shot 3-6 from beyond the arc for a total of 10 points and grabbed two rebounds.
On the opposite side of the floor, Maryland was led by Allie Kubek who shot an impressive 10-12 from the floor finishing with 29 points, and hauled in five rebounds while going 7-8 from beyond the arc. Sitting right behind Kubek was Shyanne Sellers who put down 19 points while snagging seven rebounds and whipped out six assists. While going 7-15 from the field, Faith Masonius earned 14 points while grabbing three rebounds and swiping away four steals. Despite not earning double-digits on the night, Bri McDaniel had nine points and whipped out five assists.
Iowa State could not be stopped in the paint as they outscored Maryland 50-32 in the paint and in second-chance points 14-9. The Cyclones also outrebounded Maryland 36-25 and shot better from the field at 56.7% versus Maryland’s 45.6% from the field.
The Cyclones earned their 21st victory of the season as they move on to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament to take on the winner between Stanford and Norfolk State on Sunday, March 24th.
