Iowa State Cyclones Set Impressive Program History Against Houston Cougars

In the win over the Houston Cougars, what were the Iowa State Cyclones able to accomplish?

Feb 16, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) scores against the Houston Cougars during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to earn a victory in a thriller on Big Monday against the Houston Cougars. In the victory, the Cyclones were able to make some program history. 

It was a fantastic win for Iowa State against the Cougars on Monday, and this is a team that has now started to build some serious momentum. With back-to-back wins against Top 25 opponents, the Cyclones are trending in the right direction at the right time. 

The regular season is quickly coming to a close, and being sharp is more important now than ever. While it was a hard-fought win against Houston, they are a Final Four caliber team, and the game had that feel to it throughout. 

Matchups against opponents like that are going to make a team better, and Iowa State showcased that they can compete with the best of the best. In the game, it was the offenses that dictated tempo early, and then it turned into more of a defensive battle in the second half. 

There are a couple of areas that are usually key for the Cyclones to have success, and those are turning opponents over and getting after the offensive glass. However, in this case, it was their protection of the ball that was really the difference. In the win, they only turned the ball over three times, which is a program record. 

Cyclones Impressively Set Program Record

Iowa State just set a program record for fewest turnovers in a game with 3, and did it against HOUSTON.

Turnovers began being recorded in 1978-79.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 17, 2026

While it is a great accomplishment to only turn the ball over three times in a game, it is even more impressive that they did it against one of the best defenses in the country. The Cougars are notorious for being able to force turnovers and play excellent defense like Iowa State, and this is a shocking record to set against them. 

In the game, it was Tamin Lipsey who had two turnovers and Jamarion Batemon who had one off the bench. Joshua Jefferson has had a little bit of a problem in this area of late, but he played a clean game and totaled a team-high five assists. 

Overall, the ball movement and the protection of the basketball against the Cougars were really impressive for the Cyclones. There are a few teams in the country that can say they have scored over 40 points in a half against Houston, and Iowa State is one of them. That type of performance is a great indication of the improvements of the offense and where this team could go in March. 

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