Audi Crooks scored 12 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter, Addy Brown added 22 points and Iowa State rallied from a 15-point, second-half deficit then held off Princeton 68-63 in the opening game of the NCAA tournament on Wednesday night.
The First Four victory in the matchup of 11th seeds advances the Cyclones (23-11) to a matchup with sixth-seeded Michigan on Friday. The win was No. 800 for coach Bill Fennelly, third most among active coaches in women’s basketball.
Crooks, named to the Associated Press All-American third team released Wednesday, dominated the paint where the Cyclones outscored the Tigers 46-28, making 12 of 21 shots. Brown was nine for 16 with eight assists and seven rebounds. Emily Ryan had six assists in tying the Big 12 career record with 988, matching Niya Johnson’s total at Baylor from 2013 to ’16.
Fadima Tall scored 19 points, Ashley Chea had 15 but none in the second half, Skye Belker added 11 and Parker Hill had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Princeton (21-8), which, like Iowa State, was making its sixth straight tournament appearance.
After three quarters of big runs, the scoring went back and forth in the final period with the Cyclones’ lead varying between seven and four. When Belker’s three-point try spun out of the basket with about nine seconds left, Crooks secured the rebound and the win.
Princeton hit the first basket of the second half for its largest lead of 15, then went the next eight minutes without a field goal. The Cyclones shot 58% and outscored the Tigers 27-9 in the third quarter to lead 52-47 with Brown scoring 11 points.
After making only one of 10 shots to end the first quarter and trailing by seven, Princeton used a 9-0 run to wipe out the deficit then closed the half with 14 straight points for a 38-25 lead, outscoring Iowa State 27-7.