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For the third time this season, Audi Crooks scored more than 40 points. And for the 13th time this season, No. 10 Iowa State earned a win.
However, while a huge scoring night from the junior center is becoming routine, the Cyclones’ win came with a bit more drama than usual.
Iowa State stretched their lead over visiting Kansas to as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, looking poised to rather comfortably maintain their perfect record. But, a mid-fourth quarter run from the Jayhawks turned the contest into a down-to-the-wire affair. A 3-pointer from junior wing S’Mya Nichols with just over three minutes remaining pulled Kansas within one point, Nichols then hit another triple, converted a pair of free throws and drained midranger to tie the game with just five seconds left.
That was enough time for redshirt junior Kenzie Hare to rescue Iowa State. Junior forward Addy Brown delivered to the ball to Hare, who did not hesitate as she fired the buzzer-beating corner 3, giving the Cyclones the 79-76 win.
The game-winner was Hare’s only three points of the game.
Crooks, of course, took care of most the Cyclone scoring, taking advantage of Kansas’ decision to not to double team her. She finished 19-for-28 from the field, with her 41 points matching the program record for the most points scored in a Big 12 game. It was also Crooks’ fourth-straight game of at least 30 points, giving her 148 points over her last four games, the most by a Big 12 player in 25 seasons.
Already the nation’s leading scorer, Crooks’ season average is up to 28.9 points per game.
And while Audi has established herself as the best scorer in all of women’s college basketball, she was not the only star who celebrated this season of giving by giving buckets over the weekend, as evidenced by the 29 points that Nichols scored for the upset-minded Jayhawks.
These other players also celebrated the season by pouring in the points:
Kymora Johnson (Virginia)
On Saturday, Virginia hosted Winthrop, and Cavaliers junior guard Kymora Johnson welcomed the visitors with school-record 10 3-pointers and 41 points as Virginia won 88-53.
Johnson went 10-for-13 from deep as she scored the second-most points in program history. The second half, in particular, served as Johnson’s showcase. She made all seven of her 3-point attempts, going 10-for-12 from the field overall, as she scored a program-record 27 second-half points.
Joyce Edwards & Madina Okot (South Carolina)
The Joyce Edwards’ superstar ascent is accelerating.
On Thursday, she scored a career-high 34 points in 28 minutes, missing just one of her 15 shot attempts as No. 3 South Carolina crushed South Florida, 103-44. On Saturday, Edwards netted 29 points in 27 minutes in the Gamecocks’ 105-43 rout of FGCU, going 14-for-19 from the field as she also grabbed 10 rebounds for the double-double.
Edwards is approaching Crooksian levels of production and efficiency, with the South Carolina sophomore forward scoring at least 25 points in four-straight games and shooting 65 percent from the field or better in all of them.
Senior center Madina Okot served as Edwards’ co-star on Saturday. She scored a career-high 27 points, with 23 coming after halftime. Okot, who also made her first 3 of her career, likewise earned a double-double with 12 rebounds.
Azzi Fudd & Sarah Strong (UConn)
As Edwin Garcia already recounted, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong were the dynamic duo that extended UConn’s run of early-season dominance in their 90-64 win over No. 11 Iowa at the Champions Classic.
Fudd and Strong, almost literally, halved the scoring responsibilities for the Huskies. In the first half, it was the sophomore forward who starred, with Strong scoring 20 of her eventual 23 points before halftime. After the break, the super senior Fudd took charge, shaking off a cold start to score 21 of her 27 points in the final two quarters.
No, Olivia Miles didn’t secure a fourth-straight triple-double. But, she still scored a season-high 29 points as No. 9 TCU remained unbeaten with a win over Kansas State, 77-55.
The super senior point guard did most of her damage at the hoop, dipping deep into her bag of crafty handles and clever finishes.
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
Miles’ former teammate did add a triple-double to her resume. And as only Hannah Hidalgo could, she did it with points, assists and steals.
The Notre Dame junior point guard scored 30 points, dished 10 assists and collected 13 steals, earning the second triple-double of her career in No. 20 Notre Dame’s 110-38 win over Bellarmine. Hidalgo also surpassed Arike Ogunbowale for the most 30-point games in program history, with 12 30-pieces to her name.
The Tiger who has scored the most points in a single game this season? Hello, Grace Knox!
The freshman forward totaled 25 points in 28 off-the-bench minutes as No. 5 LSU crossed the century mark for the 10th time in 13 games, routing UT Arlington 110-45. Knox also pulled down 12 boards for her second double-double of the season.
No. 19 USC trailed by as many as nine points against Cal at the Bay Area Women’s Classic. That just allowed Jazzy Davidson to again show off her clutch bona fides.
The freshman guard’s final bucket put the Trojans up for good with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It also gave her 24 points on the night, a new season-high. USC thus escaped with the 61-57 win. And while Davidson still struggles to be efficient, she keeps proving that she’ll find a way to get the job done.
