Iowa State Defeats Niagara, 66-45 - Iowa State Athletics

Sunday, November 15

Ames, Iowa

12:00 PM

Iowa State

3-1,0-0Big 12

Niagara

0-4,0-0Metro

Team	1	2	F
Niagara	25	20	45
Iowa St.	32	34	66

Photo by: Iowa State Athletics

11.15.2026 | Men's Basketball

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AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (3-1) overcame a poor shooting afternoon in a 66-45 victory over Niagara (0-4) Sunday in Hilton Coliseum.

The Cyclones shot just 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field, but got help from their defense down the stretch, holding the Purple Eagles to just nine points in the final 13 minutes to break open a tight game.

It was ISU's 45th consecutive non-conference home victory.

Only two Cyclones were in double-digit scoring – Tre Singleton (13) and Jaquan Johnson (12) – but their rebounding played a huge factor in the outcome. ISU outboarded Niagara, 49-26 and grabbed 20 offensive caroms.

Dominykas Pleta snared a game-high 10 boards to go along with eight points, and Taj Manning was a point and rebound shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Senior Tamin Lipsey posted eight points and led the team in assists (5) and steals (5). It was Lipsey's school-record 12th five-plus steal game of his career. His five assists give him 614 in his career, moving him to No. 3 all-time in school history. He also played in his 141st game and 101st win of his career, setting new school marks in both categories.

Cole Farrell led all players with 16 points for the Purple Eagles.

How it Happened
Niagara ran out to a 14-11 lead at the 12-minute mark of the first half. Farrell was 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the first eight minutes.

The Cyclones struggled offensively, connecting on 4-of-16 from the field to begin the game. A pair of Jamarion Batemon 3-pointers accounted for half of ISU's baskets.

Confounding ISU's early offensive struggles was Singleton, ISU's leading scorer, who picked up two quick fouls and sat a big chunk of the first half.

With the game knotted at 16, Manning gave the Cyclones a boost with seven points in a 12-3 ISU run for a 28-19 Cyclone lead with under four minutes left in the first half.

Despite shooting just 34.3 pct. from the field, ISU led at the break, 32-25. Its poor shooting was offset by 13 offensive boards and a 28-13 advantage on the glass in the first period.

ISU led by 11 points after scoring the first two baskets of the second half but then went cold again. A 1-of-10 stretch from the field allowed the Purple Eagles to creep back and make it a 38-36 Cyclone lead with 13:30 remaining in the contest.

ISU then shut down Niagara in a five-minute scoring drought to take command in a 9-0 run to move ahead 47-36. Lipsey scored four points and threw a perfect lob for a Blake Buchanan dunk in the run.

The Cyclone lead grew to 16 points (57-41) with 5:08 remaining with Johnson sparking a 9-0 run with five points.

Notes

Iowa State has now won 45-straight non-conference home games, the fourth-longest streak in the country.
With Niagara being held under 63 points, that makes 22 straight opponents that Iowa State has held under its season scoring average.
Iowa State has now won 50 straight contests when leading with 5:00 minutes remaining.
ISU's 86 wins over the last four years are the seventh-most in program history.
Tamin Lipsey passed Diante Garrett for the third-most assists in program history.
- Lipsey also passed Craig Brackins on the all-time scoring list, moving into 15th in program history.
- Lipsey now has the most wins (101) and games played (141) in school history.
- Lipsey eclipsed 300 made free throws in his career.
Jaquan Johnson played in his 75th career game.
- He also went over 850 career points.
Dominykas Pleta pulled down his 100th rebound in the win.

Key Performer
Taj Manning came off the bench and gave the Cyclones a spark when they needed it in the first half. Manning scored all nine of his points (4-4 FG) in the final 10 minutes of the opening period to help ISU take a seven-point lead. Manning finished the game a point and rebounds shy of a double-double with nine points and nine boards, both season highs.

Up Next
The Cyclones head to Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week to play in the Players Era Championship (Nov. 24-28). ISU will play four games with a first-round contest vs. San Diego State on Tuesday (Nov. 24) at 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2).