Dec 31, 2024
AP PHOTO – Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey, left, drives to the basket as Colorado center Elijah Malone (50) defends in the first half of a college basketball game Monday in Boulder, Colo.
BOULDER, Colo. — Curtis Jones scored 20 points, Keshon Gilbert had 14 and No. 3 Iowa State opened Big 12 Conference play with a 79-69 win over Colorado on Monday night.
The Cyclones (11-1) have won eight in a row, including two over Colorado. They beat the Buffaloes 99-71 in the fifth-place game in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 27.
Julian Hammond III had 21 points and RJ Smith scored 14 for Colorado, which returned to the Big 12 after 13 seasons in the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Buffaloes’ first Big 12 game since beating Nebraska 67-57 in Boulder on March 5, 2011.
After Colorado rallied to take a 55-50 lead with 12:01 remaining, Iowa State clamped down on defense. The Buffaloes scored just two points over the next 6:04.
Colorado (9-3) rallied to get within 64-63 on two free throws by Trevor Baskin with 4:59 left, but Iowa State scored the next six points to lead 70-64. The Buffaloes went nearly three minutes without a point until Hammond’s layup with 15 seconds left.
It was Colorado’s first loss in nine home games this season. The Buffaloes had won 11 straight dating to last season and 24 of 25 before Monday night.
On Saturday, Iowa State hosts No. 25 Baylor, while Colorado travels to Arizona State.
Hawkeyes handle New Hampshire in non-conference finale
IOWA CITY — Payton Sandfort had 15 points to lead six Iowa players in double figures and the Hawkeyes never trailed Monday night in their 112-70 win over New Hampshire, the final non-conference game of the season for both teams.
Sandfort hit a jumper to open the scoring 57 seconds into the game and his layup about 4 1/2 minutes later gave Iowa (10-3) a 15-4 lead. The Wildcats twice trimmed their deficit to nine points before Cooper Koch hit a 3 that made it 23-11 with 11:18 left until halftime and pushed the lead into double figures for good.
The Hawkeyes shot 61% (45 of 74) from the field, hit 10 3s and set season highs for points in a game and points in a half. Ten different Iowa players scored at least three points, led by Sandfort’s 11, before halftime as Iowa scored its most points in a half this season and took a 62-33 lead into the intermission.
Giancarlo Bastianoni scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting for New Hampshire (2-13) and Anthony McComb III added 15 and Sami Pissis 11. The Wildcats are winless in eight games away from home this season.
Koch and Seydou Traore scored 14 points apiece for Iowa and Ladji Dembele 12. Josh Dix and Pryce Sandfort each added 11 points.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The Drake women’s basketball team trailed for only 21 seconds of its conference opener, …
DES MOINES — Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points to guide Drake to a 65-46 victory over Belmont on Sunday as the …
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