The Iowa State Cyclones took on Stanford in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This was the final home game for Cameron Brink, who announced on March 12 that she has declared for the WNBA draft.
Stanford looked to avoid a second straight loss in the second round while Iowa State looked to pull off another upset win after coming back from a 20-point deficit against Maryland.
Best Game of the Tournament
Iowa State got off to a slow start, making only three out of nine field goals. Stanford immediately took the lead and held the Cyclones to just two paint points in the first quarter.
They eventually started to find their rhythm on offense, going on a 12-2 run to close the quarter and go up by four. It was a three-point mirage as they made six of eight three-pointers.
Stanford answered with a 10-4 run to begin the second quarter while Iowa State went five minutes without a field goal. They finally scored their first field goal in the quarter and from that moment on, it was a back-and-forth game.
Both teams made shots to retake the lead and get defensive stops. The shot-making was just on another level and the energy was through the roof.
Neither team was going down without a fight, and that led to five more minutes of basketball. The way both teams took turns hitting clutch shots was just effortless. Not only did the stars put on a show, but the supporting cast made big plays as well.
Stanford pulled out the win 87-81 to head back to the Sweet Sixteen. There is a reason people love March Madness because of moments like this. Undoubtedly, this was the best game of the tournament by far.
Stars of the Game
With Cameron Brink being the star player for Stanford and Audi Crooks the star for Iowa State, most people believed that those two would each have a big game. This would be the opposite as both players had a quiet scoring night, not to mention they each fouled out.
Brink finished with just eight points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. Even though she did not score much, she made her presence known on the defensive end. Unfortunately, she ran into foul trouble and fouled out at the 2:11 mark in the fourth quarter.
Crooks had a rough night, only scoring 10 points but she grabbed eight rebounds. Brink did an excellent job defending her in the paint, holding her to just three field goals made. Crooks fouled out with 3:41 minutes in the overtime period.
The real stars of the game were Kiki Iriafen and Emily Ryan. Both women put on a show and had everyone speechless.
Iriafen set a new career-high with 41 points along with 16 rebounds and three blocks. She is the first Stanford player to record at least 40 points in an NCAA tournament since Jayne Appel in 2009. Ironically, Appel did it against Iowa State.
She set the tone for the offense early and never lost her rhythm. Kiki Iriafen put the world on notice after her monster game. Stanford has a good one on their hands and a new number-one option with Brink leaving.
Ryan set a new career-high with 36 points along with nine rebounds and four assists. This was also the first time she had a 30-point game in her collegiate career. She was like a silent assassin, hitting a big shot whenever her team needed one.
Even though Iowa State lost, they played great and fought to the very end. about the team. There are not enough good things that can be said about this team. With most of their players returning next season including Ryan, they will be a team to watch out for.
Photo Courtesy: @GoStanford/X
No comments:
Post a Comment