The Cyclones have a short turnaround after a historic comeback in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as their Sweet Sixteen hopes lie past No. 2 Stanford.
Iowa State completed the second-largest comeback in the history of the women’s NCAA Tournament in its 93-86 win over No. 7 seed Maryland on Friday. The Cyclones trailed by 20 points in the second quarter and battled back to survive and advance.
Freshman Audi Crooks scored a season-high 40 points against Maryland to lead the comeback. Her point total was the most in the NCAA Tournament by a Big 12 player since Baylor’s Brittney Griner scored 40 in 2011.
The majority of Crooks’ points came from the height advantage she had against the Terrapins. Maryland could not contain Crooks at all, even when the Terrapins double and triple-teamed Crooks.
Now, Iowa State sets its sights on No. 2 seed Stanford for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. This game will be much different than the last, given that Stanford has a height advantage and it will feel like a true home game for the Cardinal.
Stanford won the Pac-12 regular season title with a 15-3 conference record and are 29-5 overall entering Sunday’s game. The Cardinal lost the Pac-12 championship game to USC and ultimately fell from a projected No. 1 seed to a No. 2 seed.
Forward Cameron Brink, who stands 6-foot-4, will be the one matched up against Crooks. Both offenses run through those two. Crooks shoots 59.9% from the floor and scores 19.5 points per game, compared to Brink who averages 17.8 points on 51.4% shooting.
Brink is not the leading scorer for Stanford. Forward Kiki Iriafen, 6-foot-3, shoots 54.7% per game and scores 18.6 points per game. Having a duo inside that has that type of efficiency and scoring ability will be a tall task for Crooks and the Cyclones to stop.
Both teams are similar in terms of offense, but defense is where Stanford holds the advantage. Opponents score 58.9 on average against the Cardinal while Iowa State gives up 68.6 points per game.
Stanford is led by head coach Tara VanDerveer, who is in her 38th year as head coach of the Cardinal and has one of the most impressive coaching careers of all time. VanDerveer has led Stanford to the past 36 NCAA Tournaments and has won three titles, all while becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history for both men’s and women’s basketball.
The road to the Final Four continues as Iowa State takes on Stanford for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. Sunday from Maples Pavilion, and the game will be aired on ESPN.
