Audi Crooks incredible 40-point game for Iowa State leaves college hoops world divided: "Caitlin Clark who?"

Iowa State center Audi Crooks had a game for the ages in her first March Madness game to lead the No. 7 Cyclones to an improbable 93-86 win against the No. 10 Maryland Terrapins.

Crooks registered 40 points and 12 rebounds to lead her team to win a game that they trailed by as much as 20 points. It was the second-biggest-ever comeback in the women's NCAA Tournament.

Her performances inevitably led to her being compared to Cy-Hawk rival and record-breaker, Caitlin Clark by hoops fans on social media.

Audi Crooks has her breakout night

Audi Crooks has registered 8 double-doubles this season and avid college basketball fans have been aware of her talent but there's no better place to announce oneself to the world for a prospect than during March Madness.

Crooks has had a stellar freshman season averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists shooting 58.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc this season.

Crook's 40-point effort was the most ever by a player making her debut in an NCAA Tournament. She went 18-of-20 and became the only women's player in the last 25 years to score 40 points while shooting 90% from the field.

The only other player, male or female to have that sort of game is Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer, Bill Walton who did it for the all-conquering UCLA Bruins team under coach John Wooden.

With 1:28 remaining on the clock, the Terrapins led 50-30, ending the half leading 52-36 and the game looked like a foregone conclusion until Audi Crooks erupted for 22 points in the second half.

During her postgame news conference, Crooks revealed what Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly said to the team during the break that spurred the comeback.

"At halftime coach [Bill Fennelly] told us what we do is up to us," Crooks said. "The way that this falls, if this is how we want to go out, that's up to us. What happens on the floor is our responsibility.

"It's our fault. They can't play the game for us, and it was just a matter of pride just knowing that we weren't playing to our best abilities, and then going out there showing what we can do and we did that."

Next up for Audi Crooks and the Iowa State Cyclones is a clash against the Stanford Cardinal who beat the Norfolk State Spartans 79-50 in their first-round game.