AMES, Iowa — Nate Heise sank a pivotal 3-pointer, and Tamin Lipsey secured a vital offensive rebound in the closing moments, leading to No. 6 Iowa State’s thrilling 70-67 comeback against Big 12 Conference leader and second-ranked Houston on Monday night.
Heise went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, just hours after his sister, Taylor Heise, scored in the U.S. women’s hockey team’s 5-0 victory over Sweden, propelling them to the gold medal match at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
“Out of all the games he’s played as a Cyclone, tonight is certainly one of the most remarkable,” praised Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger about Heise. “The confidence he’s showing is fantastic.”
The Cyclones (23-3, 10-3) concluded with a 17-4 surge to defeat another top-10 team within three days, following their 74-56 victory over No. 8 Kansas on Saturday.
Houston (23-3, 11-2) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end, and their lead in the conference shrank to half a game ahead of No. 4 Arizona, who they are set to play Saturday in Houston. Iowa State is in third place in the Big 12, just one game behind Houston.
Heise’s 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:17 remaining gave the Cyclones a 69-67 advantage. Houston had two opportunities to equalize or take the lead, but a shot clock violation with 43 seconds remaining and a missed shot by Chris Cenac Jr. in the closing seconds sealed their fate.
“I felt it was a straightforward mindset, because there’s really no other choice. You can’t pass the ball with so little time left,” Heise reflected on preparing for the decisive shot. “When it’s down to the wire and muscle memory kicks in, you just understand the shot clock situation and your responsibilities.
“It was honestly the only option.”
Heise shared his thoughts on his family’s text message chain, especially considering his sister’s achievement in Team USA’s win.
“It’s going to be exciting because I think they fell asleep before the [Iowa State] game began, so they’ll wake up to some fun messages,” he mentioned. “It was great earlier when she scored, and now they’re heading to the championship. Quite a day overall.”
Blake Buchanan was fouled after grabbing Cenac’s missed shot but couldn’t convert the first of a one-and-one. Lipsey scooped up the offensive rebound and passed it back to Joshua Jefferson, who was fouled with just one second left. Jefferson successfully made his first free throw, finalizing the score.
Jefferson led Iowa State with 12 points, followed by Heise with 11 and Buchanan with 10.
“Iowa State is a strong team,” acknowledged Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. “Winning here isn’t easy. I’m disappointed we didn’t come away with a victory. yet, I’m proud of our effort.”
Kingston Flemings topped Houston with 22 points, while Emanuel Sharp netted 16 points, all in the first half, and Milos Uzan contributed 11 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
