AMES, Iowa — Thanks to an ugly performance, a number of ugly streaks remain intact for Colorado.
No. 8 Iowa State made quick work of the CU men’s basketball team Thursday, running away from the Buffaloes out of the gate before handing Colorado a lopsided 97-67 defeat at Hilton Coliseum.
It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Buffs, marking the third-longest losing streak in 16 seasons under head coach Tad 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.
CU’s Sebastian Rancik opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, but it was all downhill from there for the Buffs. Iowa State scored the next 21 points in a 30-1 run, giving the Cyclones a 30-4 lead. The Buffs went 8 minutes, 27 seconds without a field goal and committed four 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.
Iowa State shot .625 in the first half (20-for-32), marking the third straight half in which CU’s opponent shot better than 60%. 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. Six players scored in double figures for Iowa State, led by 17 from Jamarion Batemon.
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 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); Total Fouls: Colorado 20, Iowa State 18.
