Nate Heise fuels No. 6 Iowa State's rally in 70-67 win over Houston
AMES, Iowa — Nate Heise buried a go-ahead 3-pointer and Tamin Lipsey snagged a critical offensive rebound in the final seconds as No. 6 Iowa State closed on a 17-4 run to topple conference leader Houston, 70-67, on Monday night (ET).
Heise's late shot caps big home rally
Heise, who was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, drilled the decisive trey from the left corner with 1: 17 remaining to put the Cyclones in front 69-67. The sophomore's composure under pressure stood out — and drew high praise from coach T. J. Otzelberger, who called the performance one of Heise's most elite moments in a Cyclone uniform.
“Of all the games from him as a Cyclone, tonight stands out as the one that was most elite, ” Otzelberger said. “The confidence he's playing with is awesome. ”
Heise acknowledged the simplicity of his mindset in the closing sequence: with so little time on the shot clock, there was little room to maneuver. He also smiled at the family dynamic, noting his sister's big game earlier in international play made for a memorable day for the Heise household.
Late chaos: offensive rebound, free throws decide it
Houston had two opportunities to respond after Heise's triple, but a shot clock violation with 43 seconds left wiped out one chance, and Chris Cenac Jr. missed a potential tying shot with four seconds to play. Blake Buchanan rebounded Cenac's miss but missed the front end of a one-and-one; Lipsey dove after the loose ball and tapped it back to Joshua Jefferson, who was fouled with one second remaining. Jefferson sank his first free throw to seal the final margin.
Jefferson paced Iowa State with 12 points, Heise finished with 11 and Buchanan added 10. Lipsey's hustle on the glass provided the game-altering extra possession that converted a brilliant individual shot into a victory.
Standings ripple and takeaways
The Cyclones improved to 23-3 overall and 10-3 in conference play, stringing together two marquee home wins in three days after downing a top-10 opponent on Saturday. Houston, also 23-3, saw its six-game winning streak snapped and now sits a half-game clear of Arizona atop the conference with an 11-2 league mark; the Cougars head into a weekend matchup with Arizona in Houston.
Houston's Kingston Flemings led the visitors with 22 points, while Emanuel Sharp scored 16 — all in the first half — and Milos Uzan added 11. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson expressed disappointment in the result but lauded the difficulty of winning on the road in Ames.
“Iowa State's good, ” Sampson said. “It's not an easy place to come in and win. I'm disappointed we didn't win. I'm not disappointed in our effort. ”
For Iowa State, the victory further cemented an impressive stretch: the Cyclones closed with a dominant 17-4 burst to overturn late deficits and secure a statement home win. The blend of timely outside shooting, defensive stops and offensive rebounding late in games has been a hallmark of their recent surge.
With top conference positioning still very much in play, both teams will look to carry momentum into their upcoming schedules. Iowa State's depth and late-game poise were on full display Monday night, while Houston will regroup and lean on its veterans as the regular season reaches its crucial phase.
