BOULDER — It seems like senior guard Alison Lacey has laced up Iowa State sneakers for 10 years. On Saturday, she played like it.
The 6-foot Aussie proved to be almost unstoppable, scoring 16 of her team’s final 18 points en route to a 32-point night and carrying the Cyclones to a 68-62 victory over Colorado.
Iowa State (13-3, 1-2 Big 12), which won the rebounding battle 43-26, is unranked in The Associated Press poll but No. 20 in the coaches poll.
“This is a disappointing loss for our players,” CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said. “Lacey hit some tough shots. It’s frustrating. You think you have her guarded, and she hit tough shots.”
After trailing in the early going of the second half, Colorado (11-5, 1-2) pulled even at 44-44 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Bianca Smith with 10:15 to go. The lead changed hands until Lacey swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the visitors up for good at 62-59.
Freshman guard Chucky Jeffery led CU with 17 points.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
N. Mex. 74, Wyoming 61
ALBUQUERQUE — Wyoming missed its first six shots, allowing New Mexico to take a 10-0 lead, and the Cowgirls could not recover.
Emma Langford led Wyoming (11-5, 2-2 Mountain West) with 13 points, and Jade Kennedy added 12. Amanda Best scored 21 points for the Lobos (10-6, 2-2).
Wyoming cut the Lobos’ lead to two points late in the first half, then to three early in the second, but New Mexico went on a 15-0 run to take a 51-33 lead.
BYU 63, Colorado State 58
FORT COLLINS — The Rams made their first three shots, all 3-pointers, but their 9-0 lead evaporated as the Cougars (12-3) forced 11 turnovers in seven minutes to fuel a 13-4 run from which CSU (9-7) couldn’t recover.
The Rams, who trailed 38-25 at halftime, closed the gap to five points in the final minute, but BYU made its free throws at the end.
Rams sophomore Meghan Heimstra tied a career high with 19 points.
E. Washington 51, N. Colorado 49
GREELEY — Brianne Ryan made two free throws with 1:28 left to give the Eagles (11-6) a two-point lead, and the Bears (9-9) could not catch up, mustering only one free throw in the final moments.
AREA MEN
La.-Monroe 64, Denver 52
MONROE, La. — Rudy Turner scored 19 points, and junior forward Tommie Sykes added 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for ULM.
The Warhawks (8-11, 3-5 Sun Belt) hit only one of their first 10 shots and trailed 13-4, but they rallied to tie the score 28-28 by halftime. Louisiana-Monroe used two runs to pull away from the Pioneers in the second half.
DU fell to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt.
“We didn’t play well,” Pioneers coach Joe Scott said. “To turn the ball over 19 times, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. It’s very uncharacteristic for us, but sometimes it happens.”
The Associated Press
