Kiki Iriafen pulled off a monumental effort to keep the championship hopes alive for the Cardinals. A career-best score of 41 points and 16 rebounds handed Stanford their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen with an 87-81 win over Iowa State. It was a quiet night for their star forward, Cameron Brink, as she could only record 8 points and 8 rebounds in tonight’s clash. Nonetheless, the Cardinals were able to hold their nerves in the final moments where two free throws by Iriafen put the final nail in the coffin for the Cyclones.

In this Regional 4 second-round matchup, the 2021 NCAA champions were tested to their limits by a resolute performance by the No. 7 seed Iowa State Cyclones. A sold-out Maples Pavilion was on their toes the entire time as no team could get the upper hand throughout this nail-biter. Eventually, both the teams couldn’t be separated in regular time. The game made its way to another 5 minutes of thrilling basketball.

Thanks to two fouls by the Lady Cyclones and four successful free throws by the Cardinals, Stanford edged past their defiant opponents. Iriafen took up the mantle once again in overtime to bring the Cardinals a hard-fought victory. Clearly, the night belonged to the Pac-12 Most Improved Player.

The 6 ft 3 in Iriafen was at her absolute best and single-handedly carried Stanford into the Sweet 16. She made full use of her 41 minutes on the hardwood, which resulted in a game-saving double-double. In addition to this, she made 16 out of her 30 field goals and was 9 of 9 from free throws. Further, she had 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks next to her name.

Kiki Iriafen from Stanford saved her best for the occasion

A challenging night ended in a positive result for the Cardinals. A standout performer in their talented No. 44 proves that the team can survive despite an off night from their superstar Cameron Brink. However, everyone would like to see some mind-blowing performance from the 2024 NPOY contender soon.

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Next up, the Cardinals will go against either N.C. State or Tennessee. Their face-off against N.C. State (3) or the Volunteers (6) will again make them sweat if the entire team does not stand up for the cause. Hopefully, Cameron Brink will save their day tomorrow, otherwise Stanford will have to bid adieu to their March Madness championship dreams.

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