Buffs' Streak Halted By Iowa State

BOULDER - No. 23 Colorado saw its 11-game win streak snapped by Iowa State as the Cyclones claimed an 84-77 decision in double-overtime Sunday afternoon at the Coors Events Center.

ISU sophomore Alison Lacey scored 11 of her 27 points in the second overtime as the Cyclones overcame a five-point deficit early in the second extra session and outscored the Buffaloes 12-1 in the final 3:46 of the contest.

This was the first double-overtime women's game at the Coors Events Center, and it looked like Colorado would prevail when Jackie McFarland's three-point play and Bianca Smith's steal and score gave the Buffs a 74-69 lead in the first 30 seconds of the second overtime. Lacey brought them back with three 3-pointers, the second one of which gave Iowa State a 77-76 lead.

Colorado (12-3, 1-1) tied it on a free throw by McFarland, who led the Buffs with a team season-high 28 points, but her second foul shot rimmed out and Lacey put the Cyclones ahead for good 80-77 with a 3-pointer from the right elbow with 1:18 left.

Kelsey Bolte added 21 points for the Cyclones, including a key 3-pointer in the first overtime that gave Iowa State a four-point lead before the Buffs fought back to force a second overtime. McFarland scored on a layup with just :04 left in the first overtime to send it to a second.

Colorado had a 50-38 lead with just under 12 minutes left in regulation but scored just four points over the next 10 minutes as the Cyclones fought back to a 56-54 advantage with 3:41 left. ISU upped its lead to three at 59-56 with a Heather Ezell 3-pointer, but Smith matched her for Colorado knotting the score at 59. A Nicky Wieben layup, put ISU back up by two, but CU's Aija Putnina sent the game to overtime by hitting a pair of free throws with 0:11 remaining.

The Buffs admittedly let up defensively, just as they had after taking a 12-point lead midway through the second half.

``I think that's just the attitude that comes with being a little young,'' McFarland said. ``We have matured a lot but those are things that happen to teams that are a lot older and a lot more mature. ... I just don't think that we have that killer instinct to put a team away. We had a chance in the second half and in double overtime but we didn't do it.''

McFaralnd had eight rebounds and a season-best six blocked shots. Brittany Spears, the reigning Big 12 Rookie of the Week, had 21 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Smith finished with 11 points while Putnina had eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Led by Lacey's 7-for-11 performance from beyond the arc, the Cyclones sank 14-of-27 from three-point range compared to Colorado's 6-of-17.

``That's their firepower, that's their Gatorade, that's their energy,'' Buffaloes coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said. ``At times I thought Iowa State looked tired, but they'd hit a 3 and it brought them right back into it.''

McFarland and teammate Susie Powers tied a school record by playing all 48 minutes. The only other player to log that many minutes for the Buffs was Tracy Tripp on March 6, 1989, also in a double-overtime game.