Audi Crooks scores 40 points in NCAA tournament debut as Iowa State rallies from 20 down to beat Maryland

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Audi Crooks grabbed the Iowa State name plate and emphatically placed it on the big NCAA tournament bracket board, into the space for the second round.

She absolutely earned the chance to do so.

“That was so fun, my teammates soaked me in water,” she said, still grinning from ear to ear some 30 minutes later. "I’m just excited to be able to have another game with these girls, with this group. This is a special team and I just didn’t want it to end."

The freshman star scored a career-high 40 points on 18-for-20 shooting in her sensational NCAA tournament debut, and No. 7-seed Iowa State hit all the big shots in the second half to rally from 20 points down and beat 10th-seeded Maryland 93-86 on Friday night.

Crooks joined Bill Walton as the only players in NCAA Tournament history to score 40 points on at least 90-percent shooting after Walton did so for UCLA in the 1973 title game, according to OptaSTATS.

The 20-point comeback marked the second-largest all-time in an NCAA tournament game trailing only Texas A&M overcoming a 21-point deficit to beat Penn in 2017.

“I thought that was one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever been a part of,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said, praising his team's poise to charge back. “So proud of our team, ecstatic for them.”

Fighting tears, Crooks shared how she takes a moment before every game to be spiritual, pray, and remember her father, Jimmie, who died when she was 16 in 2021. She committed to Iowa State shortly after that. Fennelly even went to her favorite Mexican food restaurant during the recruiting process and it's not his favorite fare.

“I’m just grateful, I can’t say thank you enough to the people that I’m surrounded by,” Crooks said. “When you're surrounded by people that you love, that care about you, that trust you as much as they do getting you the ball, that speaks volumes to how we play as a unit.”

Emily Ryan knocked down a key 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining and finished with 18 points while dishing out 14 assists as Iowa State kept pounding the ball inside to the ever-reliable Crooks — even when it led to a handful of late turnovers.

Crooks, the program’s first freshman to earn AP All-America honors with her honorable mention this week, came in leading the team averaging 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds and became the 16th player to score 40 or more this season. She had 12 rebounds against Maryland.

“She dropped 40 on 20 shots, that’s pretty eye-popping right there,” Ryan said. "It was a special night for her as well as our team. It couldn't have happened to a better person. ... When we throw it in there she gets it every time."

Allie Kubek knocked down all five of her 3-pointers in the first half and finished with seven from long range on the way to a season-best 29 points, and it looked like Maryland might run away from the Cyclones.

Instead, it's Iowa State (21-11) advancing to play Sunday for a spot in the Portland Regional. The Cyclones will face second-seeded Stanford (29-5) after the Cardinal beat No. 15 Norfolk State 79-50 in Friday’s late game at Maples Pavilion.

Kelsey Joens hit a tying 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third quarter as Iowa State used a 10-0 run to get back in the game and Crooks’ three-point play at the 2:50 mark put the Cyclones ahead 62-61 before she scored again the next time down.

Kubek's hot hand from 3-point range got Maryland (19-14) going early from the perimeter and the Terrapins had to try to make things tough on 6-foot-3 Crooks in the low post as she came in shooting an NCAA-best 58.4 percent from the floor.

“I would say it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen considering the points, the efficiency, the venue, the event,” Fennelly said.

Maryland made nine 3s in the first half, its most in any half this season — and the 11 total 3s were the Terrapins' high.

This was a coaching reunion between close friends. Fennelly hired now-Terrapins coach Brenda Frese on his first staff in Ames and she stayed with the program from 1995-99. They posed for a photo before the game.

“It’s awful, Brenda’s part of my family,” Fennelly said of beating his dear friend.

The programs had never met previously — and Frese's team reached its 14th straight NCAA Tournament after an upset of Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament before losing to Nebraska.

“We’re really disappointed and sad for our fifth-year seniors that we couldn’t close this out,” said Frese, whose teams had never lost in the first round during her tenure dating to 2002.

Maryland hit six quick 3s and 10 of 13 shots out of the gate for a 33-20 lead after the opening quarter.

Colorado uses strong second half to down Drake

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Aaronette Vonleh had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead fifth-seeded Colorado to an 86-72 victory over 12th-seed Drake.

The Buffaloes will face fourth-seeded Kansas State in the second round Sunday.

Colorado (23-9) also got 16 points from Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta, and Maddie Nolan had 12. The Buffs held a 39-18 advantage on the boards.

Drake (29-6) got 24 points from Katie Dinnebier. Courtney Becker added 14 and Taylor McAulay had 13.

The Buffaloes opened the third quarter with a 14-3 run to grab a 60-44 lead midway through the quarter. Drake had a chance to cut the deficit to single digits, but Anna Miller missed two free throws trailing 60-49. The Buffs scored the next seven points to open their largest lead of the game to that point. They led 71-53 at the end of the third quarter. Colorado held Dinnebier scoreless in the third quarter.

Drake didn't get closer than 13 points in the final quarter.

Drake jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but it didn't take long for Colorado to respond. When Sherrod converted a traditional three-point play, the Buffaloes led 13-11. Colorado took a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Buffaloes extended the lead to 12 points on a 3-pointer by Tameiya Sadler and a layup by Sherrod with 7:09 left in the second quarter. But this time Drake responded. The Bulldogs cut it to 42-41 with 2:32 left.

The Buffaloes took a 46-41 lead to the locker room. They were led by Vonleh with 14 points and 8 each from Sherrod and Nolan.

Drake was led by Dinnebier, who had 18 points. Becker added 9.