Women’s NCAA tournament - Stanford holds off Iowa State in instant classic
Ros Gold-Onwude, Isis Young & Cassandra Negley react to Sunday night’s second round thriller that featured Kiki Iriafen and Emily Ryan exchanging buckets on way to career highs in points.
Video Transcript
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ROS GOLD-ONWUDE: It was an instant classic. The number two seed Stanford, survives, holds on in an epic overtime thriller. A valiant effort from the number seven seed in Iowa State, but they fall 87-81 to Stanford on Maples Pavilion Court. Kiki Iriafen, she busts out. She said, hello, America. And she had 41 points, 16 rebounds.
On the other side also, giving a salute to America, was Iowa State senior Emily Ryan, who nearly took Stanford down herself with a career high 36 points. Oh, and the battle in the paint that everyone was talking about with Audi Crooks and Cameron Brink, well they both fouled out of the game.
And Crooks was held to 3 for 21 shooting. So ice caps, the game was epic. The shot making was just drama. The overtime. What about what we just witnessed is your favorite part of the game, is the performance that stands out to you that you've got to call out first.
ISIS YOUNG: Yeah. I just would say, this is what we come for. Like this is March Madness, right? You come for the stars to show. Kiki Iriafen. I mean, we from the beginning of the game, the first second to the last second, she just dominated.
They had no answer for her in the mid-range, in the paint. I think she's most dangerous in the mid-range. And I felt like that first half. That's where she did her damage. And then the second half, she went in the paint and really commanded the paint.
But also too, you got to give her credit, she did it without Cameron Brink for the majority of the game. And so I think that's just huge that she really put the team literally on her back. Also got to the free throw line nine times. It was a perfect 9 for 9. I mean, she just was clutch in all essence of the word.
CASSANDRA NEGLEY: Yeah. I mean, this game was shot for shot. It was so much fun.
ROS GOLD-ONWUDE: It was like a heavyweight slug fight, like one punch then another.
CASSANDRA NEGLEY: There were so many just momentum shifting moments, where you could feel like, OK, this is Iowa State's to lose. This is Stanford's to lose. It was so much fun.
And I think for Iowa State, you mentioned Emily Ryan, she was cold.
ROS GOLD-ONWUDE: Yes.
CASSANDRA NEGLEY: I want to track her to see when she gets the ball on the inbound to everything she's doing on the offensive end, pulling back out, hitting super cold 3s. She made good decisions. She hit her freshman when needed. Incredibly impressive game for them, and they'll be back next year in this stage.
ROS GOLD-ONWUDE: She was able to do it at all ranges. She carved up the defense. She got to the basket. She put the defense out of position. She hit insane 3 pointers. You almost thought Iowa State's about to do this.
But on the other side, I'll also call out role players for Stanford that were ready to go. Brooke Demetri had power packed minutes. Big rebounds, big 3's. Hannah Jump was incredible from the 3 point line and really stepped up for Stanford as well.
Stanford now goes to the Sweet 16 for the 29th time. That is third most all time. And Kiki Iriafen often with that 41-point game, she joins Candice Wiggins and Jane Appel as the only Stanford players to score 40 points or more in the NCAA tournament. What a game we just witnessed, an instant classic. March Madness. That was the madness that we speak of.
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