Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
11-10, 2-5
Iowa State
13-8, 2-4
Buffs Drop Heartbreaker At Iowa State
January 31, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Iowa State's Craig Brackins threw down a dunk with 1:48 remaining to match the Cyclones' biggest lead of the night at 60-55. Relphorde then answered with a three-pointer to bring the deficit to two points.
Down 62-58, Cory Higgins scored and was fouled, converting the free throw to make it a one point game with 24 seconds left. After two made free throws by Scott Christopherson, another Higgins layup brought the score to 64-63 with 16 seconds remaining.
Iowa State used a timeout with 11 seconds left and was then forced to inbound the ball from the sideline in their backcourt. Brackins threw away the inbounds pass and it was recovered by Colorado's Levi Knutson. The ball found its way to Relphorde who could not convert his shot just before the buzzer sounded.
Freshman sensation Alec Burks injured his left knee just two minutes into the game and did not return. Higgins stepped up in Burks' absence to score a team-high 21 points.
"I couldn't be any prouder of my team," said CU Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik following the game. "It's unfortunate we weren't able to drop another bucket in there, and we had our opportunities. They're trying really hard; they really are."
The first half was a series of runs for each team. After Iowa State scored first, CU went on an 18-2 run from the 19:07 mark until 11:12 remained to take an 18-4 lead. Iowa State responded as Marquis Gilstrap scored seven points during a 21-6 run that allowed the Cyclones to take a 25-24 lead with 3:51 remaining. The Buffs scored the final seven points of the half though, including five from Casey Crawford, to take a 31-25 lead into the break.
Relphorde finished with 11 points and Crawford scored ten in addition to Higgins' 21. Nate Tomlinson led the Buffs with four assists and Austin Dufault led with seven rebounds.
Brackins scored a game-high 27 points and Diante Garrett and Justin Hamilton each added ten points. Brackins and Gilstrap each recorded 13 rebounds and Hamilton pulled in 12 boards. The Cyclones dominated the glass, outrebounding Colorado 52-26. Hamilton blocked five Colorado shots as Iowa State finished with 12 as a team.
Colorado protected the ball well, only committing four turnovers and forcing Iowa State into turning it over 21 times.
Burks' status is unclear for Wednesday's game against Kansas. An MRI is scheduled for tomorrow. Bzdelik said in his post-game radio interview that the injury does not seem to be very serious.
The Buffaloes return to the court on Wednesday to host the potentially top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The game tips at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
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