UNI had lost its previous seven games against ranked opponents entering this week's game at Colorado. That streak ended for the Panthers Tuesday night.

Trae Burhow and A.J. Green each scored 20 points to lead UNI in its 79-76 upset of the 24th-ranked Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo. Spencer Halderman's steal and layup off a Colorado inbound pass with 49 seconds broke a 76-all tie and gave the Panthers a two-point lead. a free throw by Green 22 seconds later increased the margin to three.

Halderman's break-away basket occurred just moments after Green evened the score at 76-all on a three-pointer with the shot clock running down, which ended an 8-0 run by the Buffaloes.

UNI (9-1) built an early 9-3 edge in the first half, before Colorado's Lucas Siewert scored 15 points in just over three minutes of play. Siewert's career-best performance gave the Buffaloes a five-point edge at that point, but the Panthers owned a 33-32 advantage at intermission.

Coach Ben Jacobson's team opened the second-half on fire, increasing its lead to 12 points just two minutes into the half. Colorado bounced back quickly, narrowing the gap to just three points in less than three minutes.

The Buffaloes (7-2) eventually took a 55-53 lead with 10:10 remaining. The rest of the game featured 10 lead changes, until Haldeman's layup put UNI ahead to stay.

The victory was the first for the Panthers over a ranked opponent since Feb. 13, 2016, a 53-50 decision over No. 25 Wichita State.

UP NEXT: UNI travels to Phoenix, Ariz., for a Thursday game at Grand Canyon, which tips off at 8 PM (Iowa time) on ESPN3.

 

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