How do you explain a freshman playing in her first NCAA Tournament game posting a stat line authored by only one other player in the history of the game, men or women?
Specifically, we’re talking about Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks, who dropped 40 points while shooting 90% and grabbing 12 rebounds to lift her team to a 93-86 win over a Maryland team led by 20 in the second quarter. The player she joined is none other than UCLA legend Bill Walton.
Again, how do you explain it? Crooks will tell you.
“Before every game I just try to take a moment and I pray. I’m kind of seeking guidance from my father,” she said after the win. “He passed away when I was 16 in 2021. I just kind of take a second and ground myself, tap in to my spiritual side, and just know that everything is going to be ok and he’s got the best seat in the house.”
No. 7 seed Iowa State’s comeback was the second largest ever in NCAA Women’s Tournament history, and it came on the same day that No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee used an 18-point point comeback to upset…
