Going Past Cameron Brink, Why Standford’s Kiki Iriafen Is The Player to Watch This NCAA Season

The Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball team upended the Florida State Seminoles by a decent margin of 100-88 on Saturday. The Cardinal dominated every quarter except the first, cruising to victory by an exceptional team effort. However, one name that stood out for the Cardinal was their forward Kiki Iriafen.

Iriafen turned all eyes on her by potting a career-high 30 points with an astounding 17 rebounds. Her double-double contributed to setting the tone for her team for the contest, and Iriafen made headlines instantly. The critics and fans were quick to notice her past performances in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Stanford Cardinal vs Hawaii Rainbow Wahine 87-40

The Cardinal played their season opener against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine at the Maples Pavilion. The home team won the contest by a humongous margin of 87-40. Kiki was instrumental in their win, besotting a huge 23 points with an astounding 13 rebounds. She also provided a solitary assist. 

While Kiki played for only 24 minutes, she justified every moment of her presence by besotting a double-double. Apart from that she had a field goal percentage of 71.4% and a 3-for-3 free throw. With this game, the junior forward started off an on-song display that was to last for the rest of the tournament.

Stanford Cardinal vs Indiana Hoosiers 96-64

The Cardinal locked horns with the Indiana Hoosiers during their next game. They thrashed the Hooisers by a blowout margin of 96-64. Kiki once again smoked a match high 20 points tying with the Cardinal star Cameron Brink. 

This was the second double-double for Kiki in this tournament as she nabbed 11 rebounds. This time also she only plied her trade for 20 minutes and made the most of it. She had a towering 9-for-12 field goals and a cent percent free throw percentage. This match was an evidence of Kiki improving her skills from what they had been last year which also meant that she had become a core part of the team.

Stanford Cardinal vs Cal Poly Mustangs 86-32

The Cardinal clobbered up the Cal Poly Mustangs in a lopsided match at the Maples Pavilion. Kiki and the starting five were only given enough time to set the tone while most of the game was played by rotating the starting five.

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Kiki started off her performance from where she had left it in the last game, basketing 13 points and 4 rebounds with a solitary assist. Going by Kiki’s game it was clear that she was more of an alpha rather than setting up layups, or providing assists.

The game was significant since their head coach Tara VanDerveer tested her other squad that would help her form strategies for crucial games.

Stanford Cardinal vs Duke Blue Devils 82-79

The Cardinal edged past the Duke Blue Devils in overtime by a narrow margin of 82-79. All the four quarters were more of a race with Cardinal dominating in the first and fourth while the Blue Devils won the second and third. All in all, it was a close contest.

Kiki and Brink were the architects of this Cardinal triumph with Kiki totting the second highest 27 points of the game. She along with Brink was an indestructible force that shook the Blue Devil.

She also showed her impenetrable defensive skills, grabbing 9 rebounds and missing in what would have been her third double-double of the season by a nominal margin of one rebound. She had a 9-for-16 field goal and a 9-for-12 free throw.

Stanford Cardinal vs Belmont Bruins 74-55

The Cardinal extended their undefeated run to 5-0 with a win over the Belmont Bruins. Kiki played the second fiddle to Brink in this contest, smashing 14 points with 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

Kiki again missed her double-double by a very close tally of singular rebounds. She set up the stage for Brink to pot 27 points with 16 rebounds and earn her double-double. Kiki throughout her gameplay showed that she was an exceptional team player apart from the singular force she had been in the previous matches.

The next however game was Kiki’s to take.

Stanford Cardinal vs Florida State Seminoles 100-88

The Stanford Cardinal punched the Florida State Seminoles by a respectable margin of 100-88 in their most recent outing, The game was significant as it marked Kiki’s third double-double.

Pocketing an astounding 30 points with an enormous 17 rebounds, Kiki now averaged a double-double in the six matches she played. She averages 21.2 points edging past Brink with 10.5 rebounds per game as opposed to last year’s 6.7 points per contest and 3.8 rebounds per match.

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With Kiki amping up her game and the Cardinal winning six straight matches, it won’t come as a surprise if they become top contenders for the silverware this season.