Late Run Gives Iowa State Win Over Buffs, 55-53

AMES, Iowa (AP) -- Corey McIntosh gave Iowa State some unexpected scoring with 13 points and Jiri Hubalek hit the go-ahead basket with 1:43 left, helping the Cyclones escape with a 55-53 victory over Colorado on Wednesday night.

Iowa State (14-13, 5-8 Big 12) rallied from a 15-point deficit in the first half and held Colorado scoreless in the final 2:08 to hand the Buffaloes their fourth straight loss.

Colorado (6-17, 2-11) missed three shots after Hubalek's turnaround on the low block gave Iowa State a 55-53 lead. The Buffaloes then got one more chance when Hubalek missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds left.

But McIntosh and Rahshon Clark trapped Richard Roby well behind the 3-point arc and Roby lost the ball going up for a shot.

Roby led Colorado with 23 points and Dominique Coleman scored 11. Mike Taylor added 12 points for Iowa State, Wesley Johnson scored 10 to go with nine rebounds and Hubalek finished with nine points.

McIntosh, who had been averaging just 3.7 points, went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. He had been 4-for-18 behind the arc coming in and had not made a 3 since Iowa State's loss at Colorado on Jan. 17.

After cutting Colorado's lead to four at halftime, Iowa State twice got to within a point and finally tied it at 51 when Taylor banked in a 3 from the top of the key with 4:12 remaining.

Johnson's follow shot gave Iowa State its first lead, 53-51, but Roby tied it for the final time with a fadeaway.

Colorado started the game by breaking down Iowa State's defense time after time for close-in shots. Of the Buffaloes' first nine baskets, seven were layups and another was a dunk.

They made four layups, the last of which Jeremy Williams turned into a three-point play, in jumping to a 9-0 lead. Roby's driving shot and another Williams layup made it 18-4.

The Buffaloes stretched their lead to 28-13 on Kal Bay's 3-pointer before Iowa State closed the half with a 13-2 run capped by McIntosh's 3 just before the buzzer, drawing the Cyclones to 30-26.

Colorado played without starting guard Xavier Silas, who was sidelined by a left ankle injury. Silas averages 11.9 points and scored 19 in Colorado's victory over Iowa State in Boulder.

After two consecutive road games, Colorado will return back to Boulder to take on Kansas State at 2 p.m. this Saturday, February 24th at the Coors Events Center.