LAHAINA, Hawaii — Defeating second-ranked UConn showed the new-look Colorado men’s basketball team it’s quite capable of competing with the top programs in the nation. Iowa State showed the Buffaloes they still have plenty of work to do before Big 12 Conference play begins in a month. Against, as fate would have it, Iowa State. Related Articles College Sports | Men’s basketball: CU Buffs routed by Michigan State in Maui opener College Sports | Men’s basketball: CU Buffs put clamps on Harvard to improve to 4-0 College Sports | Women’s basketball: CU Buffs aim to fix shooting woes ahead of matchup vs. Nevada College Sports | Women’s basketball notes: Former CU star Jaylyn Sherrod makes impact in Buffs’ opener College Sports | Kindyll Wetta, Frida Formann shoulder high hopes for CU Buffs women’s basketball entering 2024-25 The Buffs took aim at a second top-five victory in as many days in their final contest at the Maui Invitational but instead were humbled by the fifth-ranked Cyclones, who routed CU 99-71 on Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center. A combination of too many reckless turnovers by CU, particularly in the first half, and torrid shooting from the Cyclones made it a long morning in Hawaii for the Buffs, who return home with a 1-2 mark against a loaded field at the most prestigious nonconference tournament in college basketball. CU (5-2) stayed close early, but with the game tied 22-22 Iowa State gradually took control, outscoring the Buffs 23-12 over the remainder of the first half to take a 45-34 lead at the break. The Buffs had curtailed their early-season turnover issues heading into the game, but CU committed nine in the first half, leading to a 20-2 advantage for Iowa State in points off turnovers at the break. Iowa State shot .576 in the first half, even better than the .560 first-half mark No. 2 UConn posted against the Buffs a day earlier. Against the Huskies, the Buffs were able to put the clamps down, but the Cyclones continued to pour it on, pushing their lead to 33 points. Iowa State finished with a .603 field goal percentage overall and went 11-for-25 from behind the arc. The Buffs had no answer for the Cyclones’ Milan Momcilovic, who went 9-for-13 overall and 6-for-9 on 3-pointers before finishing with a game-high 24 points. CU didn’t shoot the ball horribly, posting a .418 mark overall and a .421 percentage from the arc (8-for-19). But Iowa State outrebounded CU 31-25 and the Buffs were dominated in other significant areas like points off turnovers (37-10), second chance points (14-5), fast break points (22-6) and bench points (30-20). Julian Hammond III led the Buffs with 20 points, and Andrej Jakimovski added 18. The Buffs begin their journey home on Thursday night and are in action on Monday night at home against Pacific (7 p.m., ESPN+). Iowa St. 99, Colorado 71 COLORADO (5-2) Baskin 2-5 2-2 7, Diop 1-3 0-0 2, Jakimovski 5-13 6-6 18, Malone 2-7 0-0 4, Hammond 6-11 6-6 20, Ruffin 0-2 0-0 0, Dak 3-5 1-2 8, Smith 2-6 0-0 6, Rancik 1-1 1-1 3, Carrington 1-1 1-1 3, Kossaras 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 17-18 71. IOWA ST. (5-1) Jefferson 3-6 4-4 10, Momcilovic 9-13 0-0 24, Jackson 4-4 2-3 10, Gilbert 5-8 4-4 15, Lipsey 3-7 4-7 10, Jones 7-14 2-2 19, Heise 2-2 0-0 4, Chatfield 0-0 0-0 0, Indrusaitis 2-4 2-3 7, Fish 0-0 0-0 0, Kelderman 0-0 0-0 0, Rock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-58 18-23 99. Halftime: Iowa St. 45-34; 3-Point Goals: Colorado 8-19 (Smith 2-4, Hammond 2-5, Jakimovski 2-6, Dak 1-1, Baskin 1-2, Ruffin 0-1), Iowa St. 11-25 (Momcilovic 6-9, Jones 3-9, Gilbert 1-2, Indrusaitis 1-2, Jefferson 0-1, Lipsey 0-2); Rebounds: Colorado 25 (Baskin 8), Iowa St. 31 (Jefferson, Jones 6); Assists: Colorado 18 (Ruffin 4), Iowa St. 18 (Gilbert 6); Total Fouls: Colorado 17, Iowa St. 19; A: 2,400 (2,400).