Iowa State Stuns No. 2 Houston 70-67 in Crescendo Finish at Hilton Coliseum
What felt like a single unforgettable play was actually the final note in a building symphony. Sixth-ranked Iowa State erased a 10-point second-half deficit and edged No. 2 Houston 70-67 on Monday night, Feb. 17 (ET), at Hilton Coliseum, delivering a sequence of clutch shots and decisive plays that culminated in Nate Heise’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 77 seconds remaining.
A string of late plays defines the finish
The closing minutes were defined less by one miracle and more by momentum accrued play after play. Trailing by two in the final minute, Iowa State’s possession looked doomed as the shot clock wound down and Joshua Jefferson held the ball at the top of the key. Jefferson elected to make the pass that broke Houston’s defensive pressure, whipping a skip to the corner where Heise caught and released in one motion for the game-changing triple.
Heise’s shot was the capstone of a frantic sequence that included Jamarion Batemon’s corner 3 on the previous possession — a bucket that arrived partly by circumstance when a substitution failed to happen and Batemon stayed in the game. Earlier in the half, Heise briefly lost vision in his right eye after being poked, but he shrugged off the scare and later described the late attempt as muscle memory: with the clock collapsing there was little time to do anything but trust the work put in earlier.
Houston’s struggles at the free-throw line also played a role in the drama. A missed front-end of a one-and-one kept Batemon on the floor and altered the substitution pattern that helped Iowa State stay aggressive. Even small margins — a missed free throw here, a perfectly timed skip pass there — accumulated into an outsized difference by the final horn.
Implications for both teams and the national picture
The victory is a signature moment for Iowa State, a program that needed both poise and daring to topple one of the country’s elite teams on its home court. Pulling off a comeback like this against a top opponent can function as a season-defining touchstone, boosting confidence and belief that close games against elite competition can be closed out.
For Houston, the loss is a painful reminder of how small errors can decide big games. Despite assembling a roster with national-title aspirations, this defeat will prompt questions about late-game execution and previously reliable areas such as free-throw shooting. The coach emphasized the opponent’s willingness to make the plays that mattered most and noted that those late plays ultimately separated the teams.
Beyond standings and rankings, Monday’s result reshuffles momentum in the conference race and national conversation. Iowa State demonstrated it can sustain pressure through the most intense stretches of a high-stakes game; Houston will be left to reassess and rebound quickly as the schedule tightens in the weeks ahead.
Game flow and key moments
The scoreboard in the final minute did little to reflect the stretch of critical plays that led to it. A 10-point deficit in the second half was erased through a mix of timely 3-point shooting, energetic defense and opportunistic ball movement. Jefferson’s vision in the halfcourt and Batemon’s willingness to take and make a corner triple set the table for Heise’s match-winner.
Coaches on both sidelines will pore over the tape for lessons — how rotations affected late possessions, which matchups were decisive, and how momentum shifted in a matter of possessions. Fans will replay Heise’s shot and the sequence that preceded it for a long time; in the balance between outcome and artistry, Monday night offered both.
When the final buzzer sounded, the celebration on the Iowa State bench reflected more than a single shot. It reflected a chain of choices and plays that, taken together, produced a beautiful, breathless conclusion to a rivalry meeting that will be remembered for how it arrived as much as for the final score.
