For the second straight NCAA Tournament game, the Stanford Cardinal fell behind in the fourth quarter at home in the second round, reducing the possibility of an upset.
When Pac-12 Player of the Year Cameron Brinker was in foul trouble all night against No. 7 Iowa State, the No. 2 Cardinal turned Another of their twin towers brings them home. Kiki Iriafen went scoreless in 5 minutes in the 2023 loss to Mississippi State, but scored 41 in a single game in the NCAA Tournament points, tied for ninth all-time, and contributed 16 rebounds and 4 assists, leading Stanford to 87 points. -81 overtime win. The Cardinals advance to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 Tennessee.
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There was nothing that Iriaphan could not do. The league’s most improved player scored in all areas against the Audi Crooks and Seventh Cyclones. She practices jumpers. She looked up from distance and blasted past her defender. She posted via contact form and completed. Iriafin’s defense was also stellar, forcing first-round favorite Audie Crooks to shoot 3 of 21 from the field, while Iowa State shot 12 of 27 from the field.
Stanford needed everything from Ilyafin in a 45-minute game. After the first quarter, neither team led for more than two possessions. There were 12 ties and 18 lead changes, with Iowa State leading by one with 31 seconds left, but Brooke Demetre’s cold-blooded 3-pointer proved decisive. After Ady Brown missed a potential game-tying field goal on the ensuing possession, Demeter grabbed the rebound and the Cardinals, and the nervous home fans at Maplewood Pavilion, could finally breathe.
Iowa State delivered the first drive that should be an instant classic. The Cyclones scored seven points in the first quarter on the back of hot shooting from beyond the arc and the steady play of senior guard Emily Ryan, who also hit three 3-pointers herself. Stanford stepped up its offense in the second quarter, squeezing enough offense out of Ilya Fen and shooting guard Hannah Jump to pull within two points and set the stage for the second half.
Ryan dazzled with her dribbling and step-back jumper, totaling a career-high 36 points, although her 10 turnovers gave the Cardinal extra chances. While Crooks was trapped by Iriafen and Brinker, freshmen Brown and Jalin Bristow were unscathed, scoring 25 points, including 10 in overtime.
Stanford University found enough outside of Iriafen’s products. Brink contributed eight points and eight rebounds with five blocks in 22 minutes. Jumping is a focal point for many of Iowa State’s schemes – the Cyclones even threw a box-and-one at the super senior on one possession – but she capitalized on every defensive miscue, scoring 15 point. Nunu Agala was tasked with guarding Ryan and was responsible for several of those 10 turnovers. DeMeter hit a clutch 3-pointer, her only 3-pointer outside of garbage time in the NCAA tournament.
Even after the game of Ilyaphon’s life, the Cardinal still narrowly avoided a huge disappointment. Exiting at home two years in a row after losing in the conference tournament each season will cast doubt on Stanford’s resilience.
Instead, coach Tara Vanderveer and her staff were able to push the right buttons to allow Iriafen to move forward and optimize their bench. Huge shots from both sides prevented either team from building a sizable lead, but the big takeaway for the Cardinals is that when they needed to execute on offense, they were able to do so.
Neither team deserved to lose, but Stanford was the worthy winner over Iriafen. Vanderveer, a player who saw little playing time a year ago, quickly burst into the national spotlight and kept her team dancing with one of the best tournament performances in recent memory.
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(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
