Houston vs Iowa State: Cougars' six-game streak ends in 70-67 loss
In a tense Big 12 showdown on Monday night (ET), No. 6 Iowa State rallied to knock off the second-ranked Houston Cougars 70-67, ending Houston's six-game winning streak and tightening the conference race.
Heise's late 3 and Lipsey's hustle seal the comeback
Nate Heise nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer from the left corner with 1: 17 remaining, sparking Iowa State's decisive run. The Cyclones closed the game on a 17-4 stretch, swarming defensively and finding timely offense in the rotation. Heise was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc on the night and credited confidence and instinct for his late-game poise.
Houston had two chances to respond. A shot clock violation with 43 seconds left erased one possession, and a missed Chris Cenac Jr. attempt with four seconds remaining gave Iowa State one last opportunity. Blake Buchanan secured the rebound on that miss but missed the front end of a one-and-one; Tamin Lipsey then muscled an offensive rebound and tapped the ball to Joshua Jefferson, who was fouled with one second to play. Jefferson made the first of two free throws to extend the margin to three and ice the win.
Standouts for both teams and game flow
Kingston Fleming led Houston with 22 points, while Emanuel Sharp supplied 16 first-half points that helped the Cougars build a cushion earlier in the game. Milos Uzan added 11 for Houston, which finished 23-3 overall and 11-2 in the Big 12.
For Iowa State, Jefferson paced the Cyclones with 12 points, Heise finished with 11, and Buchanan contributed 10. The Cyclones improved to 23-3 overall and 10-3 in conference play. The late-game execution from Iowa State — an emphatic close by a team that had already toppled another top-10 opponent over the weekend — underscored their ability to flip momentum in short order.
The final sequence illustrated the game's small margins: a corner trey, a clock miscue, an errant attempt, a missed front end and a scrappy offensive rebound that produced the foul. Those micro-moments added up to a three-point Iowa State victory.
Implications for the Big 12 race
The loss narrows Houston's lead in the conference to a half-game over a top-four rival as the schedule tightens. Iowa State leapfrogged into contention with the road win and sits a game behind the Cougars in the league standings. Both teams enter a critical stretch of conference play where each matchup will carry postseason and seeding ramifications.
Houston's coach expressed frustration at the result but did not fault his team's effort, while Iowa State's bench and coaching staff praised the composure shown by role players in the closing minutes. With both clubs carrying similar overall records and national rankings, the Big 12 picture remains highly competitive as teams jockey for position heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
Fans should expect more tight finishes and potential shake-ups in the standings as the conference chase accelerates toward selection and seeding for postseason play.
