The Good, Bad and Ugly of No. 2 Houston Cougars’ Loss vs No. 6 Iowa State
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The No. 2 Houston Cougars blew a 10-point lead with seven minutes left and lost to No. 6 Iowa State with a final score of 70-67 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames on Big Monday. While it was always going to be a challenge to win on the road against the Cyclones, Houston will feel this one slipped away in disappointing fashion.
Houston drops to 22-3 on the season and 11-2 in the Big 12 while Iowa State matches UH’s record of 22-3, but improves to 11-3 in conference. UH loses the first out of its three-game monster schedule.
Here’s the good, bad, and ugly.
Good: Some Special Shots and Rebounding
Freshman star point guard Kingston Flemings has always shown up against the best-ranked competition, and it was no different this time. While it ended up a loss, Flemings almost brought them across the line with his usual elite shot and decision-making.
He was the leading scorer with 22 points on 9/15 shooting while going 4/6 from three. He also added five rebounds and four assists, but had three turnovers. He hit a 3-pointer to give Houston a 10-point lead at 63-53 with 7:09 left. Flemings had some good defensive moments as well.
While Houston shot 42% from the field and 35% from three overall in the game, the Cougars did particularly well in the first half offensively and only had two turnovers. Houston shot 52% overall in the first 20 minutes and 44% from beyond the arc.
Redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp stepped up with 16 points and four 3-pointers in the first half, including some triples at key points in the game to give Houston a great shot. Senior point guard Milos Uzan was effective in the first period as well, with nine points, five assists, and making both 3-point attempts.
Houston survived the early storm in Ames, down 15-5, but answered with a 21-6 run to take a 26-21 lead. The 3-point shooting from Sharp was clutch. It was a 15-point turnaround.
Freshman stretch big Chris Cenac Jr. woke up in the second half and went to work on the offensive glass. He had three consecutive offensive rebounds on one possession that earned a fist bump from coach Kelvin Sampson. He hit a 3-pointer as well.
The second-half rebounding was a whole different animal from Houston. The Cougars out-rebounded the Cyclones by four overall and got 12 second-chance points compared to seven for ISU. At one point in the second half, Houston dominated the glass.
Houston was down 47-42 in the second half, but the Cougars went on a 16-2 run with three freshmen on the floor to go up 58-49. One of those freshmen was Isiah Harwell. Sophomore guard Mercy Miller added an epic poster slam in the first half.
Bad: Inconsistency
Cenac Jr. had 0 points in the first half and was almost a non-factor. Houston’s starting big was unable to make an impact from the paint or 3-point line. That changed in the second half. He scored seven points and gathered 10 out of his 12 total rebounds in the last 20 minutes. It was the opposite for Sharp, who was scoreless in the second half. Houston needed his scoring, but was unable to get it.
Houston’s rebounding was not great in the first half and lost that battle 16-12. Iowa State got five second-chance points and had three more offensive rebounds. Houston looked to be in a position to put the game away up 10, but it was never going to be easy inside Iowa State’s place. The Cyclones were the sixth-ranked team for a reason and went on a clutch 10-0 run to tie the game and set up a furious finish.
Ugly: The Win Slipped Away
It seemed as if Houston was in control up 63-53 with seven minutes left. A couple more plays, and the Cougars would be staring down an epic victory. That was not meant to be.
This isn’t a bad loss whatsoever; however, it feels like Houston blew it. No doubt Hilton magic played a role, but Houston definitely had the chances to come away with this road win. The Cougars got outscored 17-4 in the last seven minutes of the game.
After senior guard Tamin Lipsey missed both free throws and Houston still had a 65-63 lead, Uzan headed to the line for a one-and-one. An 80% free throw shooter, if he made both, Houston would be in the driver’s seat.
Instead, he missed. It was a blown opportunity. While Flemings got the lead back, and Heise made a special shot for an ISU two-point lead, the Cougars got two more opportunities to tie or take the lead.
It was great defense from Iowa State that led to a shot clock violation and then Flemings somehow slipped on the final possession before Cenac Jr. got it and just had to toss something up. Houston couldn’t even get one final chance with four seconds because Lipsey grabbed the offensive rebound.
A key formula of success for Houston is getting those extra points off turnovers and forcing steals to boost its scoring. Houston forced just three turnovers and got 0 points off them. Additionally, the Coogs only forced two steals. Houston found difficulty attacking in the paint.
There were 35 fouls total in this game. Sharp was in foul trouble and missed four minutes of the second half. Both teams play a similar style of physical defense, and it showed in the second half. The incidental contact was getting rough. Both sides got beat up physically as expected.
Up next, it does not get easier for Houston as it’ll return home and take on No. 4 Arizona on Saturday afternoon.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.