Iowa State Cyclones Dominate Creighton Bluejays Wire-to-Wire in Players Era Festival

The Iowa State Cyclones moved to 6-0 on the season, dominating the Creighton Bluejays at the Players Era Festival.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones knew that the Players Era Festival was going to provide them a chance to cement their status as one of the best men’s basketball teams in the country.

So far, so good in that regard.

After defeating the St. John’s Red Storm in their first game of the tournament on Monday afternoon, 83-82, they picked up a dominant victory over the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday afternoon.

A 78-60 victory has put the Cyclones in position to potentially play for the championship game. With a 2-0 record and +19 point differential, they are, at the very least, going to participate in a third-place game depending on how the other games turn out.

Iowa State supporting cast steps up

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was total dominance for Iowa State, which got the job done in every facet. The loss of star point guard Tamin Lipsey, who suffered a lower-body injury against St. John’s, didn’t have much of an impact on the team’s ability to succeed.

Freshman Killyan Toure did his best impersonation of his mentor. He stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 20 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 31 minutes.

Stepping into the starting lineup for Lipsey was sixth-year senior Nate Heise. Head coach T.J. Otzleberger has viewed the veteran as a sixth starter for the team and relied on him accordingly against Creighton.

That One Counted. 😉#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/QOROrGgKsJ

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) November 25, 2025

He responded with an excellent all-around game. In 39 minutes, Heise scored eight points with five rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block.

One of the keys to the game for the Cyclones was controlling the paint. They did exactly that, led by the bruising duo of Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchanan.

Joshua Jefferson, Blake Buchanan dominate the paint

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jefferson recorded his second double-double of the campaign, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds. Four of his rebounds were of the offensive variety. He added five assists, initiating a lot of offense with Lipsey sidelined.

Buchanan overwhelmed the Bluejays on the interior. He had 12 points and nine rebounds, three of which were on the offensive glass.

This was a wire-to-wire victory for Iowa State, which never trailed in the matchup. It was a total 180-degree turn from the exhibition game these teams played against each other a few weeks ago, when Creighton overwhelmed the Cyclones from the start.

What a Shot from 2⃣2⃣#Cyclones | #C5C | @MilanMomcilovi5 pic.twitter.com/T6U8SqWJcd

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) November 25, 2025

Their effort on the defensive side of the ball was incredible. The Bluejays were held to 37.9% shooting overall and 35.7% from the 3-point line. Creighton turned the ball over 17 times, which Iowa State turned into 19 points.

The Cyclones’ outlook is incredibly bright, knowing the team can perform at this level despite not having their most important player in the lineup.