Iowa State held on for a 64-63 victory over Colorado on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum. The Buffs lost guard Alec Burks to a left knee injury in the first few minutes and were forced to play without their freshman star for the remainder of the contest, one they nearly stole from the Cyclones.
Junior forward Craig Brackins had 27 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, but the Cyclones star nearly gave the game to CU.
With 11.3 seconds left, Brackins threw an inbounds pass that was retrieved by junior guard Levi Knutson. After a couple of passes, junior forward Marcus Relphorde got the ball on a handoff from sophomore forward Austin Dufault and dribbled into the lane, but his last-second shot bounced off the backboard and then the back iron as Iowa State escaped with the victory.
The heartbreaking loss was Colorado’s (11-10 overall, 2-5 in Big 12) 33rd consecutive Big 12 Conference road loss and the second straight they let slip away in the final minute. Colorado mounted a late comeback at Texas A&M on Jan. 23, but they couldn’t come through when Burks’ floater fell short of the rim.
The Buffs got off to an 18-4 start in this game and led 31-25 at halftime. A 6-0 run to start the second half gave Colorado a 12-point lead, but Iowa State (13-8 overall, 2-4 in Big 12) rallied to tie the game at 39.
The Buffs return to Boulder to host No. 2 Kansas at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Coors Events Center.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer David Starcer at David.starcer@colorado.edu.
