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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – As the Iowa State women’s basketball team struggled through the end of the first half of Wednesday night’s NCAA Tournament game, a once-promising season seemed to be on the verge of coming to a close.
But then, the Cyclones started looking like the team everyone expected them to be this season.
Iowa State stormed back from a 13-point first-half deficit and the 11-seed Cyclones eventually beat 11-seed Princeton, 68-63, in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament at Purcell Pavilion.
The Cyclones will play 6-seed Michigan in the first round of the tournament on Friday morning. Addy Brown scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed eight assists for the Cyclones (23-11). Audi Crooks scored a team-high 27 points.
More: Iowa State vs Princeton: Recap of Cyclones' March Madness First Four win.
Iowa State charged out of the gates and used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build up an 18-9 lead. Princeton hit just one of its final 10 shots in the field and never could get into a rhythm over the first 10 minutes.
That quickly changed.
The Tigers went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter and took a 22-20 lead on a jumper by Olivia Hutcherson. Iowa State answered back on a layup by Crooks. But things eventually spiraled out of control for the Cyclones in the quarter.
Princeton hit five of its last six shots of the frame and went on a 14-0 run over the final 3:22. The Cyclones hit just two of their final 11 field goal attempts in the half and went the final 4:08 without a basket to trail, 38-25, at the break.
The lead didn’t last. Iowa State started chipping away in the third quarter, using an 8-0 run behind 3-pointers by Brown and Arianna Jackson to pull within seven. Iowa State heated up with a 13-0 run and took a 43-42 lead on a jumper by Brown. Cyclones point guard Emily Ryan capped off the run with a layup and free throw.
Iowa State hit six of its last eight shots in the third. The Cyclones outscored Princeton 27-9 in the frame and went into the fourth up five after a last-second layup by Ryan.
The Cyclones were able to hold off Princeton, which kept it close most of the fourth quarter. Crooks hit a pair of big free throws down the stretch and Ryan connected on a layup with under a minute to play to give Iowa State a six-point lead to capture the win and advance to Friday's game against Michigan.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball beats Princeton in First Four game
Continue reading...
But then, the Cyclones started looking like the team everyone expected them to be this season.
Iowa State stormed back from a 13-point first-half deficit and the 11-seed Cyclones eventually beat 11-seed Princeton, 68-63, in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament at Purcell Pavilion.
The Cyclones will play 6-seed Michigan in the first round of the tournament on Friday morning. Addy Brown scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed eight assists for the Cyclones (23-11). Audi Crooks scored a team-high 27 points.
More: Iowa State vs Princeton: Recap of Cyclones' March Madness First Four win.
Iowa State charged out of the gates and used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build up an 18-9 lead. Princeton hit just one of its final 10 shots in the field and never could get into a rhythm over the first 10 minutes.
That quickly changed.
The Tigers went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter and took a 22-20 lead on a jumper by Olivia Hutcherson. Iowa State answered back on a layup by Crooks. But things eventually spiraled out of control for the Cyclones in the quarter.
Princeton hit five of its last six shots of the frame and went on a 14-0 run over the final 3:22. The Cyclones hit just two of their final 11 field goal attempts in the half and went the final 4:08 without a basket to trail, 38-25, at the break.
The lead didn’t last. Iowa State started chipping away in the third quarter, using an 8-0 run behind 3-pointers by Brown and Arianna Jackson to pull within seven. Iowa State heated up with a 13-0 run and took a 43-42 lead on a jumper by Brown. Cyclones point guard Emily Ryan capped off the run with a layup and free throw.
Iowa State hit six of its last eight shots in the third. The Cyclones outscored Princeton 27-9 in the frame and went into the fourth up five after a last-second layup by Ryan.
The Cyclones were able to hold off Princeton, which kept it close most of the fourth quarter. Crooks hit a pair of big free throws down the stretch and Ryan connected on a layup with under a minute to play to give Iowa State a six-point lead to capture the win and advance to Friday's game against Michigan.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball beats Princeton in First Four game
Continue reading...
