Cyclones Upset No. 2 Houston in Thrilling Late-Game Rally

The No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones defeated the No. 2 Houston Cougars 70-67 on Monday night, capping off a remarkable late-game rally. Nate Heise's go-ahead 3-pointer and Tamin Lipsey's crucial offensive rebound in the final seconds sealed the victory for Iowa State.

Nate Heise made all three of his 3-point attempts, echoing a family performance as his sister, Taylor Heise, also scored for the U.S. Women's Olympic hockey team earlier in the day, advancing them to the gold-medal game.

Iowa State (23-3, 10-3) concluded the game with an impressive 17-4 run. This victory marks their second win against a top-10 team in just three days, following a 74-56 triumph over No. 8 Kansas on Saturday.

The defeat ended Houston's (23-3, 11-2) six-game winning streak. Their conference lead over No. 4 Arizona was reduced to a mere half-game. Iowa State now sits in third place in the conference, one game behind Houston.

Crucial Final Moments Seal the Win

Heise's decisive 3-pointer from the left corner propelled the Cyclones to a 69-67 lead with just 1:17 left on the clock.

Houston then had two subsequent opportunities to tie or take the lead. A critical shot-clock violation occurred with 43 seconds remaining. Later, with only four seconds left, Chris Cenac Jr. missed a shot.

Blake Buchanan rebounded Cenac's miss but was fouled, sending him to the line for a one-and-one, where he missed the first free throw. In a pivotal moment, Tamin Lipsey secured the offensive rebound, tapping the ball to Joshua Jefferson. Jefferson was fouled with one second left and converted his first free throw, establishing the final score at 70-67.

Top Performers

For Iowa State, Joshua Jefferson led the scoring with 12 points. Nate Heise contributed 11 points, and Blake Buchanan added 10 points.

Houston's offense was spearheaded by Kingston Flemings, who scored 22 points. Emanuel Sharp tallied 16 points, all coming in the first half, while Milos Uzan chipped in with 11 points.

Looking Ahead

Both teams face ranked opponents next. Houston is set to play No. 4 Arizona on Saturday, while Iowa State will host No. 23 BYU on the same day.