Audi Crooks set a program record with 43 points in just 20 minutes for No. 16 Iowa State in a 97-50 rout over Valparaiso on Wednesday in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The accomplishment came despite Crooks battling a bug that had her throwing up earlier in the game, according to The Des Moines Register.
Crooks kept the ailment to herself.
“I’m not going to tell anybody that I’m not feeling good because then they’re not going to play me,” Crooks said.
Crooks set the program’s single-game record on a free throw with 8:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, passing Tonya Burns’ mark of 42 against Nebraska on Jan. 18, 1984. Crooks scored the first six points of the fourth for a 73-42 lead before being subbed out.
“They stood behind her and played one-on-one,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said, according to the paper. “And there’s people who can do that to her. You can probably count them on one hand. That’s a hard thing to do because her positioning is good, her hands are good and her feet are good.”
Crooks, who also added seven rebounds and a block, extended her streak of scoring in double figures to 71 straight games on 18-of-23 shooting.
It’s the longest active streak in NCAA women’s basketball and the longest in Cyclones history.
Crooks poured in 22 points in the first half, leading a 33-10 run and giving the Cyclones (3-0) a 43-22 lead at the break.
Addy Brown was the second-leading scorer for the Cyclones with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with seven rebounds and four assists. Brown also went over 1,000 career points. Jada Williams notched her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists, along with three steals.
Milana Nenadic was the lone double-digit scorer for the Beacons (0-3), tallying 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting with six rebounds and a couple of steals.
The Cyclones offense was 53.4% from the field (39 for 73), while holding the Beacons to 29% (18 for 62).
It marks four consecutive games with 85 points or more to begin the season, and an average of 44.5 points per game allowed.
— With AP
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
