AMES, Iowa — Iowa State took down the last undefeated team in the country on Tuesday night and dropped a message in the process.
Tammin Lipsey scored 14 points, freshman Milan Momcilovic made a key jumper with 30.2 seconds left, and Iowa State beat No. 2 Houston 57-53.
The Cyclones (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) entered the game with the 284th toughest schedule, and were eager to appease critics who said their record was misleading.
“We are a young team, and we learn every game,” Lipsey said. “But we're going to come out and fight every game no matter who we play, no matter where we play. Just don't doubt us.”
Iowa State has its seventh win over a top-10 opponent in the past two seasons — most of them in Division I. Houston (14-1, 1-1) had a program-best 12-game road winning streak in its first season. Big 12 Road Contest.
No. 1 Purdue lost 88-72 to Nebraska on Tuesday, making it the first time since Feb. 26, 2022, that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams lost on the same day during the regular season. That year it was Gonzaga and Arizona that fell.
ISU forward Hason Ward made two free throws with 1:20 remaining, but was whistled for a lane violation on the second free throw to keep the lead at 53-51.
Jamal Shedd split a double team and made a jumper with 55.9 seconds left to tie the score at 53 points.
After an Iowa timeout, Momcilovic got away from a double team and hit a layup from a tough angle for a 55-53 lead. LJ Cryer's 3-pointer hit hard off the backboard and Momcilovic was fouled at 10.7 before making two free throws for a four-point lead.
Momcilovic finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting for Iowa State. His go-ahead shot was his first basket of the second half.
“We work on it every day and practice that last-second shot,” Momcilovic said. “Obviously I pass a lot, so it's comfortable. They came up with two goals and I shot it right over the smaller defender. It's a shot I work on every day.”
Ward scored nine points off the bench on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
Emmanuel Sharp scored 20 points, reaching this number for the fourth time this season, for Houston. Shead added 14 points, becoming the 51st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Cryer, averaging 17.1 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with five points.
Iowa State scored the first 14 points of the game as Houston missed five shots and had four turnovers. Sharpe hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 14:02 remaining for Houston's first points of the game. Sharpe also scored Houston's second field goal with another 3-pointer at 10:51.
Houston trailed at halftime 31-21 for the first time this season after scoring the fewest points in any half. Iowa State scored 15 points off 12 turnovers against Houston while averaging just 9.1 turnovers per game. The Cougars shot just 6 of 20 (30%) in the first half, including 4 of 13 from long range. Sharpe scored 11 of Houston's points in the first half.
Iowa State missed nine straight shots over six minutes in the second half. Houston took advantage when Shead made a jumper from the free throw line with 3:17 remaining to take its first lead of the game, 51-50.
The Cougars led for just 32 seconds.
“I don't know if it was Iowa State. It was us,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We were just, I don't know what. I wish I did.”
TJ Otzelberger became the first Iowa State head coach to beat a No. 1 (North Carolina) and No. 2 (Houston) ranked team in the AP poll.
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