Colorado lost to No. 8 Iowa State on Thursday night, falling 97-67 at the James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Buffaloes have now lost six consecutive games and hold a record of 12-9 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 play. Iowa State remains undefeated at home with a 12-0 record and improves to 19-2 overall, including a 6-2 mark in conference games.
The game quickly slipped away from Colorado after Iowa State went on a decisive 30-1 run early in the first half, building a commanding lead of 30-4 within the opening eight minutes. By halftime, the Cyclones led by 23 points at 52-29, and Colorado was unable to mount a comeback as Iowa State continued to widen the gap throughout the second half.
Isaiah Johnson led Colorado with a game-high 24 points, scoring most of them—15—in the first half. Barrington Hargress contributed an additional 11 points for the Buffaloes. For Iowa State, Milan Momcilovic scored a team-high 16 points and was one of six Cyclones who finished with double-digit scoring.
Iowa State outperformed Colorado across multiple statistical categories. The Cyclones shot an efficient 61 percent from the field (35-for-57), including making nearly half their attempts from three-point range (10-for-21). In contrast, Colorado made just seven of its 24 three-point shots and was outrebounded for the first time this season by a margin of 33 to 22.
Iowa State also dominated inside play, outscoring Colorado by an eighteen-point margin in points in the paint (46-28) and held an advantage in bench production (40 bench points compared to Colorado’s seventeen).
“I knew what we were getting into, I’m not sure (our players) did,” said head coach Tad Boyle following the loss. “We tried to prepare for it the last two days in practice in terms of the physicality and toughness we had to play with to have any success tonight. Our players learned what a top ten team in the country looks like tonight in Iowa State.”
The Buffs briefly responded after falling behind early with a short run that cut into Iowa State’s lead but were unable to sustain momentum as halftime approached. Only four Buffaloes scored during the first half compared to seven different Cyclone players; this contributed to Iowa State’s significant edge in bench scoring before intermission.
In second-half action, Colorado managed some highlights—including two dunks by Dak—but could not close the gap as both teams rotated reserves onto the court late.
Colorado will look to end its losing streak when it returns home Sunday for a matchup against TCU at noon at CU Events Center.
