Kansas natives Ryan, Brown put on March Madness show for Iowa State women’s basketball

A pair of Kansas natives nearly stole the show on Sunday evening in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Up against the all-time winningest college basketball coach on the home floor of No. 2 seed Stanford, Claflin native Emily Ryan and Derby native Addy Brown nearly led No. 7 seed Iowa State to an upset special in front of a national audience on ESPN’s airwaves.

Ryan and Brown scored 25 of their team’s final 29 points, including several clutch baskets, but it wasn’t enough in an eventual 87-81 overtime loss to Stanford, which punched its ticket to the Sweet 16.

“It’s something you dream of as a kid,” Ryan told reporters afterward. “To have that opportunity and to do it at Iowa State is something I’ll cherish forever.”

Both are former Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and two of the best high school players to ever come through Kansas.

Ryan led Central Plains to three state championships and a 104-0 record and finished her career with the state record for steals (599) and field goal percentage (73.8%) and was one of just three players in state history to reach 3,000 career points. Meanwhile, Brown was never a prolific scorer at Derby, but one of the nation’s best all-around players in her 2023 recruiting class and a McDonald’s All American.

On Sunday, they captivated the nation’s women’s basketball fans with their performances in March Madness. Ryan scored a career-high 36 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists, while Brown recorded 18 points with five rebounds.

“We had them where we wanted them,” Brown said. “We just couldn’t finish it out in the last segment of overtime there. But we can walk out at least knowing we gave it all we had.”

Ryan has been known more for her assists than points during her career at Iowa State, but with Stanford going under on ball screens, the 5-foot-11 guard capitalized on the space given.

Stanford pulled in front by five points early in the fourth quarter, but the Cyclones rallied behind Ryan, who scored 10 straight points, capped by a rainbow 3, to take a 64-61 lead with 3:45 remaining.

“At the end of the day, the only number that really matters is the final score on the scoreboard,” Ryan said. “That’s the only one I focus on. I try to do whatever I can for the team to put us in a position to win. Unfortunately, we didn’t do quite enough. It was a 100% team effort.”

After Stanford took a 66-64 lead in the final 90 seconds, it was Brown’s turn to come up clutch. The Derby graduate drove the lane and finished a layup to tie the score with 1:11 left, which turned out to be the final basket of regulation and forced overtime.

Overtime also saw the Kansas natives put on a show, as Ryan and Brown both immediately opened with deep triples. Ryan sank a pair of free throws to tie the game at 78 with 1:03 left in overtime, then Brown drained a go-ahead 3 to put Iowa State up 81-80 with 31 seconds left.

That could have been the shot to send the Cyclones to a massive upset, but Stanford reserve Brooke Demetre responded with a go-ahead 3 of her own seconds later. Iowa State came up empty on its final possessions, as 15 points in overtime fell short.

“We knew we could compete with that team,” Brown said. “It’s next-play mentality. They make a shot, okay, fine. Next play. We’re going to go down, run our offense, hit our shot as well.”

Afterward, Ryan said Iowa State’s 21-12 season was the most “fulfilling” season of her career and she plans on returning to Ames to play a fifth college season.

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly raved about her character following the career-best performance.

“Emily Ryan has been a true blessing to me, a true blessing to our university,” Fennelly said. “In a world where so many kids are consumed by what’s good for them, she is the exact opposite. Everything about her is about her team, her team, her team. She was raised that way.

“Her coming back changes a lot of things and certainly changes the way I view the world and my job. I’ve been blessed to have so many phenomenal players. The way she leads is the most unique I’ve ever been around.”