The Kansas Hawkeyes were to face the Iowa State Cyclones. So, they implemented a different strategy. That's because the Jawhawks were already down by two players due to injuries. So they opted to defend Audi Crooks one-on-one, mostly with Lilly Meister, rather than double-teaming her. And that's exactly where they committed the mistake!

Crooks looked and immediately seized the opportunity. She found easy buckets and shot 19-for-28 in just 30 minutes. That efficiency fueled a 41-point explosion, which was two points more than half of the Cyclones’ total 79 points in the game. But that wasn’t her only achievement. With this performance, she now owns the most 40-point games this season by any Division I player. 

To start with, she scored 43 points against Valparaiso on November 13. Then she erupted again against Indiana, breaking her own single-game scoring record on 1st December. And now with her 41 points against Kansas, she matched the program record for the most points scored in a Big 12 game.

“It’s a post player’s dream,” Crooks told ESPN after the game. “If you want to double me, you’re going to leave a really talented player open.”

She's right, too. Kansas struggled in the frontcourt, and that opened the door for Crooks to operate freely on the block. She scored in every quarter.

All but four of her shot attempts came in the paint. She absorbed contact and finished with a soft touch around the rim. That dominance helped Iowa State secure another win and improve to a 13–0 record.

This marked her fourth game with at least 30 points this season. She now has 148 total points, the most by any Big 12 player in the program this year. And there’s more. Crooks is also the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 28.9 points per game. Clearly, she’s one of the best scorers in women’s college basketball. But she’s not the only one making noise.

This Week’s Top NCAA Scorers

Last Saturday, Virginia hosted Winthrop and cruised to an 88–53 win. Still, all eyes were on Cavaliers junior guard Kymore Johnson. She drilled a school-record 10 three-pointers. She went 10-for-13 from beyond the arc and finished with 41 points. That performance gave her the second-most points in a single game in program history.

But while she’s been outstanding, the competition remains fierce. Joyce Edwards, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Hannah Hidalgo, and Olivia Miles have all been impressive throughout the season. Even so, Crooks continues to stand apart. She’s now riding a 79-game streak of scoring in double figures.

But what do you think? How long can she keep it going?

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Joyita Das