Fast break
Why the Buffs lost: Iowa State shot .614 and reeled off a 30-1 run early, quickly putting the Buffs in an insurmountable hole
Three stars
1. ISU’s Milan Momcilovic. The owner of the top 3-point percentage in the nation went 3-for-6 from long range, finishing with 16 points.
2. ISU’s Joshua Jefferson. The Cyclones featured a balanced attack with six double-figure scorers, but Jefferson finished with a solid all-around stat line of 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
3. CU’s Isaiah Johnson. The freshman guard matched his season-high with 24 points, going 7-for-13 from the floor and 8-for-9 at the free throw line.
Up next: The Buffs return home to face TCU on Sunday (noon, TNT).
AMES, Iowa — It didn’t start off horribly. At least not for the first few moments.
In fact, if Colorado had in mind a storybook upset on the road, it couldn’t have started more encouragingly as Sebastian Rancik, playing in the same arena where his father played college basketball, opened the scoring with a 3-pointer.
Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, that shot might’ve counted as the biggest highlight of the night.
It was an ugly performance for CU on a frigid night at Iowa State on Thursday, as the eighth-ranked Cyclones made quick work of the Buffs, piling on early and running the Buffs out of the gym while handing Colorado a 97-67 defeat at Hilton Coliseum.
“I knew what we were getting in to. I’m not sure (the players) did,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “The players learned what a top-10 team in the country looks like. Iowa State’s a top-10 team in the country. They’re tough, and they’re physical. We’re not tough enough, and we’re not physical enough, to be able to compete in a game like this. We’d better find it.
“Credit to Iowa State. They’re legit.”
A number of ugly streaks remain intact for Colorado.
It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Buffs, marking the third-longest losing streak in 16 seasons under Boyle. It was CU’s eighth consecutive road loss against ISU and the Buffs’ 11th consecutive loss against a foe ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
It also was CU’s 23rd consecutive loss against an AP Top 25 team on the road, a streak that stretches back nearly 13 years.
Following Rancik’s opening 3-pointer, things unraveled in a hurry for the Buffs. Iowa State scored the next 21 points to start a 30-1 run that gave the Cyclones a 30-4 lead. The Buffs went 8 minutes, 27 seconds without a field goal and committed four of their 10 turnovers during the ISU run.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson managed to create repeat trips to the free throw line to keep the Buffs from completely drowning, and his 3-pointer brought the Buffs within 16 points with more than seven minutes remaining in the first half. But Iowa State built its lead back to 52-29 at halftime, and the Cyclones led by 30 points with 12:35 remaining.
“We hit the opening three,” Boyle said. “We got some wide-open looks, couldn’t make them. The first half, they beat us 22-6 in points in the paint. It comes down to our defense, too. It was just a matter of not being able to guard them. They teed-up threes and got dunks. Our defense hasn’t been good enough all year.”
Iowa State shot .625 in the first half (20-for-32) and an even 60% in the second, marking the second consecutive game in which CU’s opponent shot 60% in both halves. The Buffs were outrebounded for the fourth consecutive game and the fifth time in six games, with the Cyclones posing a 38-22 advantage on the glass. It was the ninth time this season an opponent has shot 50% against the Buffs, with ISU finishing with a .614 mark.
Johnson was a bright spot, recording the first back-to-back 20-point games of his career by finishing with 24 points, which matched a season-high he set in the opening game.
“We couldn’t get stops on the defensive end, and we couldn’t make shots on our end,” Johnson said. “They just weren’t falling. They’re just very sound on defense, very physical team. They know how to get through screens, they communicate a lot and they play together.
“We’re young, so a lot of guys, we don’t have the experience of being on the road playing a top-10 team. We’ve just got to figure out a way to keep fighting regardless of the score.”
No. 8 Iowa State 97, Colorado 67
COLORADO (12-9, 2-6 BIG 12)
Dak 3-7 0-0 6, Rancik 3-8 2-2 9, Malone 0-1 0-0 0, Hargress 3-6 4-5 11, Johnson 7-13 8-9 24, Sanders 3-5 0-0 6, Ifaola 0-0 0-2 0, Holland 0-4 0-0 0, Michaeli 0-2 0-1 0, Inman 2-4 0-0 6, Crawford 2-2 0-0 5, Kossaras 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 14-19 67.
IOWA STATE (19-2, 6-2)
Buchanan 1-1 0-2 2, Jefferson 3-9 6-8 13, Momcilovic 6-9 1-2 16, Lipsey 6-10 1-2 14, Toure 5-8 1-1 12, Heise 4-7 0-0 8, Batemon 5-8 3-3 17, Pleta 4-4 4-4 12, Kelderman 0-0 1-2 1, Mulder 0-0 0-0 0, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Rise 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 35-57 17-24 97.
Halftime: Iowa State 52-29. 3-point field goals: Colorado 7-24 (Inman 2-4, Johnson 2-6, Crawford 1-1, Hargress 1-3, Rancik 1-4, Dak 0-1, Michaeli 0-1, Holland 0-2, Kossaras 0-2); Iowa State 10-21 (Batemon 4-6, Momcilovic 3-6, Jefferson 1-2, Toure 1-2, Lipsey 1-3, Heise 0-2). Rebounds: Colorado 22 (Sanders 5); Iowa State 38 (Jefferson, Heise 8). Assists: Colorado 13 (Hargress 3); Iowa State 19 (Jefferson, Lipsey 5). Turnovers: Colorado 10 (Dak 3); Iowa State 9 (Jefferson 5). Total fouls: Colorado 20, Iowa State 18. A: 14,267.
