BOULDER — The 11-game winning streak of the 23rd-ranked Colorado women’s basketball team is gone, and so, too, is a missed opportunity. The latter, everybody wearing CU colors conceded afterward, was far more important — and disappointing.
“We let one get away, and the Big 12 is wide open this year,” Colorado senior forward Jackie McFarland said Sunday following an 84-77 loss to unranked Iowa State in double overtime. “This one really hurts.”
The Buffs (12-3, 1-1) were outscored 12-1 to end the second five-minute overtime period at the Coors Events Center.
It’s not the way Colorado coaches and players, or the 4,165 fans, will want to remember the first double-overtime women’s home game in school history.
“This year the Big 12 is a league for anybody to step up (and take),” Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said. “I wish we would have had the instinct to put (Iowa State) away when we were up by five.”
Things looked good for the Buffs when a layup by sophomore guard Bianca Smith put the home team ahead 74-69 with 4:28 remaining in the second overtime. But Colorado managed only three free throws after that. Meanwhile, Iowa State found open shooters — particularly sophomore guard Alison Lacey, who bagged three 3-pointers to spark a 12-1 flurry that finished off the Buffs.
Lacey, a smooth point guard from Australia with a scorer’s mentality, finished with 27 points — almost matching the game-best 28-point effort of CU’s McFarland.
“I found myself wide open,” Lacey said. “I thank my teammates for setting those screens.”
Iowa State (12-3, 1-1) hit 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from 3-point range and successfully survived the first double-overtime game in the history of its women’s program. The Cyclones were trailing by 12 points in the second half of regulation but battled back.
“The ‘basketball gods’ were looking out for us,” said Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly, who has beaten CU in seven of the past eight meetings. “I told the kids I thought we had won the game four or five times and probably lost it as many.”
Colorado, which hosts preseason Big 12 favorite Texas A&M on Wednesday night, also showed some grit and determination. In the first overtime, CU overcame a 69-65 deficit with 55 seconds remaining.
Flashy Buffs freshman Brittany Spears finished with 21 points but didn’t score in the second extra period.
“We had a few mental breakdowns,” McFarland said. “Everybody in the nation knows (the Cyclones) are a good 3-point shooting team.”
IOWA STATE (12-3, 1-1 Big 12)
Wieben 6-16 2-2 14, Nisleit 2-8 2-2 7, Lacey 8-18 4-4 27, Stuckey 0-4 1-1 1, Ezell 3-8 2-2 11, Bolte 8-13 2-3 21, Anderson 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 28-69 14-16 84.
COLORADO (12-3, 1-1)
Putnina 3-10 2-2 8, McFarland 8-14 11-13 28, Skildum 0-2 0-0 0, Powers 2-6 0-0 5, Spears 8-15 4-5 21, Smith 4-13 0-0 11, Blythe 0-0 0-0 0, Richards 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 27-63 17-20 77.
Halftime — Iowa State 32-30. End of regulation — Tied 61. End of first overtime — Tied at 69. 3-point goals — Iowa St. 14-27 (Lacey 7-11, Bolte 3-4, Ezell 3-6, Nisleit 1-5, Wieben 0-1), Colorado 6-17 (Smith 3-7, McFarland 1-2, Spears 1-2, Powers 1-4, Skildum 0-1, Putnina 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Iowa St. 43 (Wieben 11), Colorado 35 (Putnina 9). Assists — Iowa St. 20 (Lacey 8), Colorado 13 (McFarland 4). Total fouls — Iowa St. 17, Colorado 15. A — 4,165.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
