Crooks’ sage 40 pts. in tourney debut spur

Audi Crooks grabbed the Iowa Sing nameplate and emphatically placed it on the mountainous NCAA match bracket board, into the home for the second round.

She absolutely earned the chance to enact so.

“That became once so enjoyable, my teammates soaked me in water,” she talked about, serene grinning from ear to ear some half-hour later.

The freshman smartly-known individual scored a career-high 40 functions — essentially the most by a freshman in girls folk’s NCAA match historical past — on 18-for-20 taking pictures, and No. 7 seed Iowa Sing hit the overall mountainous photography within the second half to rally from 20 functions down and beat 10th-seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday evening.

The 20-point comeback marked the second-most tantalizing all time in a girls folk’s NCAA match game, trailing simplest Texas A&M overcoming a 21-point deficit to beat Penn in 2017.

“I concept that became once one of essentially the most racy video games I’ve ever been an part of,” Iowa Sing coach Bill Fennelly talked about, praising his group of workers’s poise to charge relief. “So happy with our group of workers, satisfied for them.”

Combating tears, Crooks shared how she takes a moment earlier than every game to be non secular, pray and take into accout her father Jimmie, who died when she became once 16 in 2021. She dedicated to Iowa Sing presently after that, and Fennelly even went to her accepted Mexican restaurant throughout the recruiting course of even though it be no longer his accepted fare.

“I’m excellent grateful. I’m in a position to’t whine thank you ample to the these who I’m surrounded by,” Crooks talked about. “If you are surrounded by these who you esteem, that care about you, that believe you as significant as they enact getting you the ball, that speaks volumes to how we play as a unit.”

Crooks became excellent the fourth player in Iowa Sing program historical past to rating 40 functions in a game. Her performance marked essentially the most functions in an NCAA debut within the past 25 years and second most in a debut all time.

Emily Ryan knocked down a key 3-pointer with 6:06 final and carried out with 18 functions whereas dishing out 14 assists as Iowa Sing saved pounding the ball internal to the ever-first charge Crooks — even when it led to a handful of insensible turnovers.

Crooks, this system’s first freshman to build AP All-The US honors along with her honorable mention different this week, got here in leading the group of workers averaging 18.9 functions and 7.7 rebounds and became the 16th player to rating 40 or more this season. She had 12 rebounds in opposition to Maryland.

“She dropped 40 on 20 photography, that’s lovely witness-popping correct there,” Ryan talked about of declaring the stat sheet to her teammates. “It became once a particular evening for her as well to our group of workers. It might perhaps perhaps no longer include took space to the next individual. … After we throw it in there, she will get it every time.”

Crooks became the first player in girls folk’s NCAA match historical past to rating 40 functions on 90% field fair taking pictures, and she tied Brittney Griner for essentially the most functions by a Sizable 12 player within the historical past of the match.

Allie Mug knocked down all five of her 3-pointers within the first half and carried out with seven from long vary on programs to a season-simplest 29 functions, and it looked like Maryland might perhaps perhaps trudge away from the Cyclones.

As an different, it be Iowa Sing (21-11) advancing to play Sunday for a arena within the Portland Regional. The Cyclones will face second-seeded Stanford (29-5) after the Cardinal beat No. 15 Norfolk Sing Seventy nine-50 in Friday’s insensible game at Maples Pavilion.

Kelsey Joens hit a tying 3-pointer with 3:20 left within the third quarter as Iowa Sing former a 10-0 trudge to salvage relief within the sport, and Crooks’ three-point play at the two:50 effect set up the Cyclones ahead 62-61 earlier than she scored yet again the following time down.

Kubek’s sizzling hand from 3-point vary got Maryland (19-14) going early from the perimeter, and the Terrapins had to take dangle of a glimpse at to invent things though-provoking on the 6-foot-3 Crooks within the low put up as she got here in taking pictures an NCAA-simplest 58.4% from the bottom.

“I might perhaps perhaps well whine it be one of essentially the most efficient I’ve ever seen brooding about the functions, the efficiency, the venue, the match,” Fennelly talked about.

Maryland made 9 3s within the first half, its most in any half this season, and the 11 total 3s were the Terrapins’ high.

This became once a training reunion between shut pals. Fennelly hired now-Terrapins coach Brenda Frese on his first workers in Ames, and she stayed with this system from 1995 to 1999. They posed for a photograph earlier than the sport.

“It is awful. Brenda’s piece of my family,” Fennelly talked about of beating his pricey friend.

The programs had never met beforehand — and Frese’s group of workers reached its 14th straight NCAA match after an upset of Ohio Sing within the Sizable Ten match earlier than shedding to Nebraska.

“We’re in actuality disenchanted and sad for our fifth-300 and sixty five days seniors that we might perhaps perhaps no longer shut this out,” talked about Frese, whose groups had never lost within the first round during her tenure dating to 2002.

ESPN Stats & Facts and The Associated Press contributed to this file.