Iowa State (13–8, 2–4 Big 12) overcame an early 14-point deficit to Colorado (11–10, 2–5) and 32 percent first-half shooting to defeat the Buffaloes 64–63 at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday night.

Colorado got a shot off at the final buzzer after a turnover on the inbound play, but CU forward Marcus Relphorde was unable to get the ball to roll off the backboard cleanly.

Craig Brackins had his first 20-point scoring night of the conference season, totaling 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. The junior went for 22 of Iowa State’s 39 second-half points. The 13 rebounds he contributed also gave him his first double-double in Big 12 play.

“It’s good to have Craig back, with that kind of intensity and really wanting the ball down low,” said ISU coach Greg McDermott. “Anybody that’s forgotten what Craig can do when he isn’t double-teamed, I think tonight was a reminder of that.”

The Cyclones were quicker to the glass all night, exploiting their interior size advantage to a 52–26 rebounding margin, but Colorado hit nine 3-pointers to keep the game close. Neither team reached 40 points until the 12-minute mark of the second half, taking turns with defensive consistency.

“In the first couple minutes, our team came out real flat,” said ISU center Justin Hamilton. “I was just trying to do the best that I could to try and get a spark, and it worked.”

Hamilton played one of his best games of the year, logging 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. The 6-foot-11-inch sophomore’s effort overcame another statistical schism; Iowa State turned the ball over 21 times to Colorado’s four.

“Ham did a great job, he was our spark plug today,” Brackins said. “If Ham wouldn’t have come and shown today, it would have just been terrible.”

Iowa State was down 18–4 at the 12:14 mark of the first half, but went on a 21–6 run from there and went into halftime down 31–25. The Cyclones knocked down a season-low single 3-pointer, but a 10–0 run in the second half that gave them a 41–39 lead led them to victory.

McDermott’s ballclub had been second in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage coming into the game, and 11th in the Big 12 in free-throw shooting, at just 62 percent. Iowa State hit 21 of its 28 free-throw attempts.

“Obviously we were fortunate to win,” McDermott said. “The start of both halves left a lot to be desired, and we have to figure out whether we have to make some changes there or just value the basketball.”

The win keeps Iowa State out of the conference cellar with Nebraska and gives the team its first win at Hilton Coliseum of the Big 12 schedule. Iowa State heads to Waco, Texas, on Wednesday to take on the Baylor Bears. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.