Wooten, defense and big fourth quarter help Colorado stun No. 19 Iowa State
- Xavier Michnewicz
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
As the final buzzer emanated on Wednesday, Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball had upset No. 19 Iowa State, 68–62, securing its first top-25 win of the season.
The Buffaloes handed the Cyclones and national scoring leader, Audi Crooks, their fourth straight loss. Colorado’s defense was stout against the 6-foot-3 junior center, holding her to seven points through three quarters on 2-for-7 shooting. She finished with a season-low 17.
North Texas transfer guard Desiree Wooten had her best game donning the black and gold, scoring 24 points and knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. In the frontcourt, Senior forward Jade Masogayo had 15 points, while Rhode Island transfer Anaelle “AD” Dutat had nine points and 12 rebounds with five from the offensive glass.
After two close losses on the road, the Buffaloes had their best fourth quarter to date, scoring 26 points on 50% shooting and 3-for-3 from deep. The Buffaloes also outrebounded the Cyclones 11-5 in the closing period, winning the total rebound battle 46-33.
“Any coach would just be so proud of that growth, from one weekend to the next weekend. These are all heavyweight fights, these are all battles, and I'm just unbelievably proud," head coach JR Payne said. "So many different people at different times of the game stepped up and made huge winning plays on both sides of the floor. So super proud.”
After Iowa State started the game missing two layups on its first two possessions, Colorado jumped out to an early four-point lead off a wing jumper from Masogayo.
However, the Cyclones took advantage of the Buffaloes doubling Crooks, knocking down their first of many first-half 3s to start a quick 8-0 run. ISU knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
Dutat ended the run after three straight Colorado offensive rebounds to get the Buffs within two. However, each team would go on a nearly three-minute scoring drought until Iowa State ended it with a deep three with two minutes left in the quarter.
The Cyclones extended their lead to as much as seven points with under two minutes left in the first. However, Wooten led the Buffs on a 7-3 run, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the quarter down three and igniting the CU Events Center.
“I think when people come to watch us play, they realize it's a really fun, exciting brand of basketball,” Payne said of the atmosphere. “I’m glad we had that many people, and hopefully we get even more next time.”
After trading 3-pointers to start the second, the Buffaloes went on a near four-minute scoring drought, allowing the Cyclones to extend their lead to a game-high 12 points. The Buffaloes were able to cut their deficit back down to four to end the quarter, once again led by Wooten. She scored seven of the Buffaloes’ last nine points, including a shot clock-beating 3.
“It’s really meaningful, and I’m proud today, but back to work tomorrow,” Wooten said of her performance. “There’s a lot of holes in my game. I can still grow. Everyone’s seen the full potential that I have.”
Through two quarters, the difference maker was 3-point shooting, as the Cyclones were 7-for-14. The Buffaloes’ main task was to tame Crooks, which they did, but it left shots for Iowa State to knock down. However, their hot shooting wouldn’t last.
The Buffaloes burst out of the tunnel to start the second half, as guard Zyanna Walker swarmed Iowa State’s Jada Williams for a scoop-and-score, trimming the deficit to two in eight seconds.
“We just have to be able to make people pay more efficiently for the things that they do defensively to Audi [Crooks],” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “We have not been able to overcome that like we need to … We have not been able to do that on a consistent basis to allow us to get through the tough times.”
After back-to-back offensive rebounds, sophomore forward Tabitha Betson hit game-tying free throws. Betson and Walker finished with eight and 10 points, respectively, with 16 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.
Iowa State got its lead back in the next minute with a Sydney Harris tre-ball, but Wooten would get it right back with an and-one to knot the game at 32.
“We’re tough, we’re blue collar, we’re fearless,” Payne said. “We don’t play perfect basketball ... But our toughness and fearlessness have never been questioned.”
Out of the timeout, Colorado took its first lead since the opening quarter with a Walker layup after an and-one from Masogayo that knotted the game back up.
The Buffaloes rode out the third quarter, extending their lead to three and ending in a 42-42 tie heading into the final 10 minutes.
Colorado opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 flurry off two second-chance layups and two Wooten free throws from a Colorado block, forcing an Iowa State timeout.
The Cyclones came out of the timeout with an 8-2 run of their own to even the game up, forcing a Colorado timeout.
But after Crooks tied it again, the Buffaloes took the lead and never gave it back. After an ISU turnover, a jump ball and another offensive rebound, Colorado took a seven-point lead off two Betson 3-pointers.
Crooks hit a bank-shot out of another timeout, which was responded to by Wooten hitting the dagger 3 that pushed the Buffaloes’ lead to a game-high eight points.
Colorado hits the road to take on the UCF Knights on Sunday. Tip-off in Orlando is set for noon MT (ESPN+).