STANFORD — It was Stanford’s home stage, but the night belonged to Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks.
When the No 2 seeded Cardinal (29-5) host the No. 7 Hawkeyes (22-11) Sunday at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion, it will be up to Stanford to take one of the feel good stories of the NCAA Women’s Tournament out of the picture.
On the line is a trip to the Sweet 16 in the Portland 4 region and a chance to earn their 16th Final Four appearance in Cleveland.
Stanford advanced with a methodical 79-50 win over Norfolk State that coach Tara VanDerveer deemed acceptable under the circumstances — the Cardinal hadn’t played in 12 days and Norfolk’s pressing defense backed by a zone was something it didn’t often see in the Pac-12.
Defensively, however, there wasn’t much to quibble with as the Spartans shot just 30.9 percent from the field and were 1-for-12 from 3-point land.
“We kind of keep our defense a secret,” VanDerveer said. “No one thinks we play any defense. But I thought we did a really good job.”
A new challenge awaits in Crooks, who at age 18 scored 40 points on 18-for-20 shooting as the Cyclones erased a 20-point first-half deficit to beat Maryland 93-86.
With her teammates feeding Crooks entry passes from different angles, a smallish Maryland team was helpless in the paint. Crooks, with soft hands, a wide body, a feathery touch and a willingness to use the glass at close range, converted time and again.
“We didn’t have an answer for her inside,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.
Stanford not only has an answer, but a pair of imposing exclamation points in All-America post Cameron Brink and junior Kiki Iriafen. Brink, on the verge of playing in her hometown of Portland, is nationally known and had 17 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks against Norfolk State. Iriafen, with 17 points and nine boards, could conceivably reach the heights Brink did this season based on her junior year production.
“We are going to need both of them to guard Audi,” VanDerveer said. “She’s a terrific talent. Great hands. They work to get her the ball very hard, and I think we have better size than Maryland does, and we’re going to have to be much more aggressive than we were tonight.”
Stanford players were sitting in the stands watching Crooks go to work before they took the court and were impressed.
“I think we can’t let her get too deep inside,” Iriafen said. “Keeping her outside of the paint will be very crucial. She finishes really well inside. Just making her shoot the ball is a good idea.”
Senior Hannah Jump, who had four 3-point baskets against Norfolk State, said Stanford needed to “limit her catches, be aggressive, make sure we box her out and don’t let her get any second-chance opportunities.”
An honorable mention All-America selection, Crooks averaged 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds for Iowa State, having committed to the home state school as a 16-year-old from Algona, Iowa (population 5,336). Coach Bill Fennelly said he’s not a fan of Mexican food, but that didn’t prevent him from repeated visits to a local restaurant for visits with Crooks.
Stanford’s Cameron Brink (22) will play a role in defending Iowa State freshman post Audi Crooks Sunday at Maples Pavilion. Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group
“When you recruit Audi Crooks, you go to a Mexican restaurant — a lot,” Fennelly said.
Crooks skillset was a challenge for a program which hadn’t planted a post in the paint for a quarter century.
“It’s been a learning curve for us because we have not had a true low-post player in our program for 25 years,” Fennelly said. “It’s something we’ve all had to learn, and Audi has been really patient with us. She’s been patient with her teammates.”
A two-time Class A champion at Bishop Garrigan High (she scored 49 in the title game as a senior), Crooks’ father passed away when she was 16. During a postgame media session where she was polite, humble and wise beyond her years, Crooks wiped away a tear at the memory.
“Before every game, I just try to take a moment, and I pray, and I am kind of seeking guidance from my father,” Crooks said. “I try to take a second and ground myself and tap into my spiritual side and just know that everything is going to be okay and he’s got the best seat in the house.”
Her game Friday night even drew congratulatory notice from the Des Moines Police Department on Twitter/X, a social media post with the caption “Some Crooks, nobody can stop.”
Crooks reaction?
“I thought it was pretty funny,” Crooks said. “Cool that the police department is watching and is noticing . . . that does draw a lot of attention to our program and women’s basketball.”
Congratulations to @CycloneWBB and record breaking @AudiCrooks on their win tonight!@MarchMadnessWBB #Cyclones #NCAAWBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/H6ck2haNIR
— Des Moines Police (@DMPolice) March 23, 2024
Fennelly said he’s seen nothing like Crooks’ performance since Stanford’s Jayne Appel scored 46 against the Cyclones in 2009 en route to a berth in the Final Four.
“It’s obviously one of the best I’ve ever seen considering the points, the efficiency, the venue, the event,” Fennelly said. “We’ve had a lot of great performances, but I think in its totality, it was pretty impressive.”
The Cyclones, who have played five freshman extensively, aren’t a one-person team.
“They’re not a one-pony pony,” VanDerveer said. “They have some great perimeter shooters, great schemes, work really hard. They know what they’re doing out there.”
In fact, Maryland guard Shyanne Sellars thought the game got away because of the Iowa State supporting cast as Crooks had 18 points in the first half and 22 in the second.
The Cyclones, with just two 3-pointers in the first half, had seven in the second half.
“We were willing to give that up,” Sellers said. “What we couldn’t afford was for them to get hot from the three, which they did in the second half and I think that was really the nail in the coffin. In the first half, we let her have those points, and really shut down everybody else.”
Guard Emily Ryan had 18 points and 14 assists for Iowa State.
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Beating Iowa State would enable Stanford to put last year’s 54-49 second-round loss to Mississippi at Maples in the rear-view mirror. It was a defeat Stanford took “personally,” according to VanDerveer and prompted some changes in approach in particular with team “connectivity” and teamwork.
Iriafen believes a good start would go a long way toward alleviating any anxiety.
“The biggest thing for us is throwing the first punch,” Iriafen said. “Staying out of foul trouble will be big. But as long as we follow our (plan) and do what we do, we’ll be fine.”
VanDerveer has patiently fielded questions about last year’s home exit and it happened again on Saturday.
“I mean, you’re never going to get away from history,” VanDerveer said. “There is also a good side of history that I think we’re something like 42-5 in this building in the NCAA Tournament, so I would rather think about that.”