On Saturday afternoon in Houston, Texas, two Big 12 teams clashed in an exciting back-and-forth matchup.
Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars welcomed T.J. Otzelberger and the Iowa State Cyclones to the Fertitta Center for the 16th game of the Big 12 regular season. Houston jumped out to a commanding first-half lead, in a game where Iowa State’s injury bug affected them mightily. They shut down all signs of struggle as the clock continued to wind in the second half, pushing the game to a one-score game without their two leading scorers. In the end, Houston remained inevitable, taking down the Cyclones in a massive Big 12 bout.
With that, here are the top three takeaways from Houston’s 68-59 win over the Cyclones.
Cryer Comes Through
Holy cow, L.J. Cryer!
While Iowa State stole nearly all of Houston’s momentum in the second half, rallying back to cut the game to one possession, one man refusing to back down was senior guard LJ Cryer.
He put on a clinic against Iowa State, posting 28 points, five rebounds, and one assist, which became a near season-high (30 vs. Alabama, Nov. 26) for the Texas native. He was one of three scorers to reach double digits on Saturday, combining with Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp to score 58 of the team’s 68 total points.
When the Cougars needed him most, Cryer delivered an All-American-level performance.
Iowa State’s Fight
While the team may not have gotten the job done against the Big 12’s top-ranked team, it’s impossible to ignore the fight shown by the Cyclones. Iowa State entered the game without each of their top two scorers, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, due to an illness for Jones and muscle tightness for Gilbert.
In a game that looked to get out of hand quickly, Iowa State fought back, with production from Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey, and Milan Momcilovic, who combined for 39 points.
Heise, in particular, had his best game of the year, going 4-5 from the field, 2-3 from three, and 2-2 from the free throw line in his first start of the season. Though moral victories don’t count for much, Iowa State outperformed expectations without the help of two of its best players.
What Happens Next?
The Big 12 regular season title is nearly wrapped, addressed, and headed out the door for Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars. They have been dominant since joining the Big 12 and are staring at their second regular season title in as many years. They head into March playing some of their best basketball in typical Sampson fashion, outworking and outhustling everyone on the court.
For Iowa State, there’s a bit of an injury concern that’s creeping through the fanbase. While Jones should be good to go in his next outing due to a routine illness, Gilbert’s injury is a little bit more open-ended. Otzelberger’s squad has already dealt with the loss of one of their stars for a bulk of time, with Milan Momcilovic sidelined due to a thumb injury.
As March approaches, the team needs to get healthy and stay healthy if they plan on making a deep run in the Big Dance.
