Buffs 'O' Stalls at Iowa State
AMES, Iowa - Colorado struggled offensively for the second-straight outing as Iowa State claimed a 65-45 win over the Buffaloes in Big 12 Conference action Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.
Colorado drops its third straight on the road after beginning the season 4-1 away from Boulder, falling to 13-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12. Iowa State breaks its own three-game skid improving to 13-6, 2-4.
The Buffaloes shot just 31 percent from the field (15-of-49) and were held under 50 points for the second-straight game. The last time CU endured back-to-back sub-50 point games was during the 1983-84 season in losses to Colorado State (48-63) and UNLV (41-67).
Senior Jackie McFarland scored a game-high 18 points as she was the Buffs' only double-digit scorer for the second-straight game. McFarland made 7-of-13 from the floor as she has now shot 50 percent or better in 17 of 20 games this season, but the rest of the Buffs' roster was just 8-of-36 (.222) on the evening.
McFarland became CU's all-time leader in free-throws made by making 3-of-3 from the line to move her career total to 495. She passes Bridget Turner who made 494 from 1985-89.
Sophomore guard Whitney Houston scored nine points off the bench hitting three of CU's five 3-point field goals. For Houston, it was her highest point total since scoring 11 in a home loss to Siena on Nov. 23.
Colorado opened with an early 12-9 lead before Iowa State heated up from the field. Heather Ezell hit a 3-pointer with 10:58 remaining in the first half to tie the game and spark a 21-6 Cyclones' run. Iowa State hit four of its six first-half 3-point shots during that run and held a 21-13 advantage on the boards.
The Buffaloes were able to cut the lead to 10 at halftime after Houston hit her first 3-point field goal since November and Hannah Skildum hit a pair of free throws as ISU took a 35-25 lead into the lockerroom.
Iowa State put the game away with an 18-4 run to open the second half. The Cyclones hit 10 of their first 19 3-point attempts before missing their last four to finish the game at 43 percent.
Amanda Nisleit led ISU's balanced attack with 16 points. Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte each had 15.
Iowa State dominated on the boards, outbrebounding Colorado 43-27. Bolte led the way with eight while Nisleit had seven.
Colorado returns home to host No. 21 Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Coors Events Center. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain.