In a closely contested matchup, No. 5 Houston defeated No. 8 Iowa State 68-59, with L.J. Cryer leading the charge with 28 points and Milos Uzan contributing 19. Despite struggling without their two top scorers, Iowa State staged a comeback in the second half, narrowing a 16-point deficit. However, Houston's consistent shooting (53% overall, 10 of 17 from three-point range) ultimately secured the win, moving them closer to their second consecutive Big 12 title. Iowa State's defense forced Houston into 17 turnovers but fell short offensively in critical moments.
Trailing by 16 midway through the second half, the Cyclones used an 18-3 run to cut the lead to 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Heise with eight minutes remaining. Houston responded with four straight points to push the lead back to five.
Houston shot 53% and went 10 of 17 from distance, while Iowa State shot 39%, including 8 of 20 behind the arc.
With the win, the Cougars inched closer to a second straight Big 12 regular-season title. They currently lead second-place Arizona by 2 ½ games with four games left.
The Cyclones struggled offensively at times without their two leading scorers -- Keshon Gilbert was out with a muscle strain and Curtis Jones missed the game due to illness -- but they did well defensively forcing Houston into a season-high 17 turnovers.
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