Completed Event: Men's Basketball at #1 Purdue on December 6, 2025 , Win , 81, to, 58
Final
Men's Basketball
81
#1 Purdue
58
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Iowa State University Athletics
Monday, December 29
Ames, Iowa
7:00 PM
Iowa State
13-0,0-0Big 12
89
vs
61
Houston Christian
5-8,1-3Southland
1
2
F
Houston Christian
28
33
61
Iowa St.
41
48
89
Photo by: LUKE LU @KL6PHOTO
No. 3 Iowa State Remains Unbeaten In 89-61 Win vs. Houston Christian
12.29.2025 | Men's Basketball
AMES, Iowa – No. 3 Iowa State (13-0) will begin Big 12 competition unbeaten after defeating its school-record 42nd-straight non-conference opponent in Hilton Coliseum in an 89-61 victory over Houston Christian (5-8) Monday night.
The Cyclones struggled to put away the Huskies for 30 minutes, but a decisive 20-2 run in a five-minute stretch turned a 10-point lead into a comfortable 79-51 advantage with under five minutes remaining in the contest.
Now 13-0 on the year, it marks the second-best start for the Cyclones in school history. The 2013-14 ISU squad began the year with 14-straight wins.
Joshua Jefferson posted his fifth 20-point outing of the year with 23 points and eight rebounds. Jefferson's partner in the post Blake Buchanan added 16 points and 11 boards en route to his second-straight double-double. The duo's board effort gave the Cyclones a decisive advantage on the glass at 44-18.
Senior Tamin Lipsey chipped in with eight points and a team-high eight assists in the Cyclone win.
Demari Williams led the Huskies with 19 points.
How it Happened
HCU grabbed an early lead behind a 9-0 run to move ahead 11-10 at the 12:55 mark of the first half. ISU started cold, making just 3-of-10 shots to begin the game.
The Cyclones regained the lead and led by five after a Jefferson 3-pointer, but a pair of treys from D'Aundre Samuels and Ryan Bartley helped the Huskies trim the deficit to 22-21 with 7:33 left in the first half.
ISU picked up the intensity in the final six minutes of the opening period. A quick 9-0 scoring burst in a 3-minute span gave the Cyclones their largest first-half lead at 37-23. Buchanan made two buckets in the run and ISU went into the locker room with a 41-28 advantage.
The Cyclone lead didn't change much throughout the early minutes of the second half, as ISU made just 3-of-10 to begin the second period. A Kylin Green conventional 3-point play and a Mambourou Mara dunk helped the Huskies close the gap to just 10 points (59-49) with just under 10 minutes to play.
Another key run by ISU provided the cushion it needed. It started with a Dominykas Pleta lay-in and two minutes later a 10-point spurt pushed the Cyclone lead to 69-49 when Milan Momcilovic buried a 3-pointer with 8:05 left in the game.
It became a 20-2 run overall, and quickly the game was out of reach with the Cyclones holding a 79-51 lead. Cade Kelderman made a big 3-pointer to ignite the crowd during the late-game surge.
Notes
- ISU is 13-0 for the second time in program history (2013-14).
- The Cyclones have won 41-straight non-conference games at Hilton Coliseum, the longest streak in school history.
- ISU's 13-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in school history.
- Iowa State's 86 wins in the last four years are tied for the sixth-best four-year stretch in program history.
- Tamin Lipsey passed Dedric Willoughby for 26th on the all-time ISU scoring list and now sits at 1,191.
- Joshua Jefferson's five dimes put him up to 250 in his career.
Key Performer
Blake Buchanan's effort led to 16 points and 11 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. He grabbed six caroms on the offensive end and missed just one of his seven shot attempts.
Up Next
Big 12 play begins on Friday, as the Cyclones play host to West Virginia on Friday (Jan. 2). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Team Stats
HCU
IowaSt
FG%
.438
.500
3FG%
.294
.316
FT%
.824
.711
RB
18
44
TO
14
9
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
12
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
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