Iowa State basketball, 5 standout stats from win over Houston

AMES — A sea of gold erupted in celebration as Iowa State basketball senior Tamin Lipsey secured the game-sealing rebound, a fitting crescendo for a game that featured plenty of grit and grind between both the Cyclones and visiting Houston Cougars.

Every made shot was hard-earned and well-celebrated, and the same went for every effort play that helped piece together a massive win over the No. 2 Cougars on Feb. 16.

Iowa State overcame a 10-point deficit late and in an exchange of baskets, Nate Heise had the decisive 3-pointer to put the Cyclones in front. Joshua Jefferson added the final touch with a free throw to seal it.

Houston’s last-second heave was well short and the postgame celebrations and chorus of Mr. Brightside lyrics commenced. Iowa State won, 70-67.

Jefferson had 12 points, Heise added 11 points off the bench, while Blake Buchanan had 10 points.

For Houston, Kingston Flemings had a game-high 22 points.

Here are five standout stats from the win:

4 — Lead changes in the final 3:45

Houston’s Kingston Flemings had a 3-pointer to give the Cougars a 10-point lead, their largest of the game with 7:09 left.

Iowa State rumbled back with a 10-0 run, a stretch capped by Tamin Lipsey going 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. The game was knotted up at 63-63 each with 3:45 left, and the back-and-forth battle kept going through the final whistle.

Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. was left by himself and got an easy basket to regain the lead.

Jamarion Batemon broke a 3-point shooting drought for Iowa State, after the Cyclones missed nine straight 3-pointers in the second half. Flemings knocked down a jumper that put Houston up, 67-66, with 1:49 to go.

Iowa State’s Nate Heise answered back with the go-ahead basket, a corner 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to put Iowa State up, 69-67.

After a defensive stop, a missed front end of a one-and-one for added suspense — which was recovered by Tamin Lipsey — Joshua Jefferson added an insurance point for the Cyclones.

10 — Combined turnovers between Iowa State, Houston

Both teams are two of the top turnover-generating units in the entire country. The Cougars have also been one of the best teams at taking care of the ball offensively, boasting the second-lowest turnover rate in the country.

Despite immense pressure, bodies hitting the floor for loose balls, and a series of double teams and traps, the Cougars and Cyclones were able to minimize turnovers in this high-level contest.

Iowa State won the turnover battle, 7-3, and the few turnovers ISU was able to create helped fuel a 10-0 run that helped the Cyclones tie the game with 3:45 remaining. Iowa State was able to get two baskets off turnovers to keep the run going.

There were no easy baskets in transition or turnover opportunities. Everything came hard-earned.

Impressively, Iowa State only had three turnovers for the game, but the Cyclones didn’t log a single turnover in the final 18 minutes of action.

8 — Tamin Lipsey rebounds for Iowa State

Lipsey finished with a team-high eight rebounds, which is a tribute to his hustle and persistence.

The Cyclones lost the rebounding battle despite leading on the boards going into halftime. Houston came out of the break with a renewed effort and outrebounded the Cyclones 23-15 and finished with a 35-31 edge for the game.

Despite that, Lipsey had the boards that mattered. He had three offensive rebounds, including the key one at the end where he tracked the missed free throw and skied high.

34.4% — Houston second-half shooting percentage

After both teams shot more than 50% overall in the first half, both the Cyclones and Cougars cooled down after the halftime break.

Iowa State was able to slow down Houston and held the Cougars to shooting 11-of-32 (34.4%) overall in the second half, including a 5-of-18 showing from deep.

Emanuel Sharp dealt with foul trouble, but the Cyclones also defended well against Milos Uzan and Chris Cenac Jr.

22 — Points by Houston guard Kingston Flemings

The four-star recruit who became an immediate impact player and rapid stock-riser certainly lived up to the billing on Monday night.

Flemings, a 6-foot-4 guard who is mentioned in the top 10 of 2026 NBA mock drafts, was every bit impressive for the Cougars. His speed and swiftness applied a lot of pressure on the Cyclones’ defense, but he was also knocking down pull-up jumpers off the dribble and hitting 3-pointers at a high rate.

Flemings finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He dealt most of his damage in the second half, when he went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.

50% — Iowa State free-throw percentage

Had the Cyclones lost, it would have been the first area to make Iowa State fans think what-could-have-been.

Iowa State shot just 11-of-22 (50%) from the line, including a 2-of-7 mark in the second half.

You may also choose to look at this margin with a half-glass-full approach. Despite the Cyclones’ struggles at the free-throw line, they continued to be resilient and found another way to win and put away the game.