No. 7 Iowa State stuns No. 1 Houston with historic defensive effort

Iowa State took a seven-point advantage at the halftime break, 30-23, before shutting Houston down in the second half. In the second half alone, the Cyclones came only a basket short of matching the top-ranked Cougars' point total, outscoring them 39-18. 

Overall, Houston shot just 26.8% from the field (15-of-56) and a measly 18.2% (4-of-22) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Iowa State made half its opportunities (25-of-50) from the field while shooting 40.9% (9-of-22) from three. 

Keshon Gibert was named the conference tournament MVP, recording 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Forward Milan Momcilovic led the team with 18 points and six rebounds and guard Tamin Lipsey finished with nine points, six assists, five rebounds, four steals and a block.  

For Houston, 41 points are the lowest for the program in a game since the Cougars put up 39 points in a loss to Oklahoma City in 1951, per CBS Sports. 

Conversely, the win clinches Iowa State's first Big 12 title since 2019 while helping punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row. Furthermore, with two wins over Houston and victories over No. 16 Kansas, No. 20 BYU and No. 25 Texas Tech, they have made a case for a No. 1 seed in the bracket.