No. 18 Iowa State Falls in Season-Opener

Monday, November 2

Sioux Falls, S.D.

6:00 PM

Iowa State

0-1,0-0Big 12

Memphis

1-0,0-0American

Team	1	2	F
Memphis	40	40	80
Iowa St.	39	37	76

Photo by: Iowa State Athletics

11.02.2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)Highlights Photo Gallery

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the first time since 2017, No. 18 Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) fell in the season-opener as it lost to Memphis (1-0, 0-0 American) at the Sanford Pentagon on Monday evening, 80-76. For the first time in the T.J. Otzelberger era, the Cyclones have a losing record.

In what was a choppy contest with little flow, 50 combined fouls were called between the two teams and 65 free throws were attempted. The Memphis win moves the all-time series record to one win apiece.

Ryan Prather Jr. led the Cyclone in scoring with 19 points and was joined in double figures by Dominykas Pleta (15), Tamin Lipsey (12) and Tre Singleton (11). Singleton stuffed the stat sheet in the loss, pulling down 11 boards and securing two steals to go with his 11 points. ISU led for just 4:42 in the contest.

Memphis was spearheaded by guard Jayden Reid, who had a game-high 26 points and was 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. Marksmen Rihards Vavers (15 points) and Luke Almodovar (18 points) each had three triples to help Memphis shoot 45% from beyond the arc.

ISU shot 43.1 percent from the floor but just 20 percent from deep as it struggled to connect on the long ball. The Cyclones dominated points in the paint (38-26) and off the bench (38-13) but were outscored in transition and couldn't turn defense into offense as it's so used to doing.

How it Happened
It was a sloppy start for ISU, setting the tone for an uneven opening half. A pair of shooting fouls from the Cyclone defense and a pair of live ball turnovers from the Cyclone offense put Iowa State down 4-0 early.

The Cyclones battled back to take a 9-7 lead before Memphis wrestled away control. It wouldn't be until the 9:07 mark that ISU retook the lead on a Prather free throw. Later in the half, Iowa State threatened to break things open with a 37-32 lead and the crowd behind it, but Memphis again had an answer.

Leading by one with three seconds left, a Memphis dunk at the horn put the Tigers ahead 40-39 at the break. Prather led ISU in scoring at the break with 10, followed by Lipsey with nine and Singleton with seven.

The second half started as choppy as the first, as it was filled with misses and fouls, and the Cyclones were held scoreless for the first four minutes of action as the Tigers opened up an early six-point lead. ISU showed some early resolve, though, battling back to take a 46-45 lead with 14 minutes remaining. That would end up being its final lead of the contest.

The Tigers had timely answers for every ISU run, knocked down their free throws, made open shots and didn't commit costly live-ball turnovers as they edged out the Cyclones in a competitive season-opening tilt.

Notes

Tamin Lipsey played his 138th game at Iowa State, tying him for second in program history.

Key Performer
Ryan Prather Jr. was Iowa State's lone consistent on offense, as the redshirt senior finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Prather was the only Cyclone to can more than one 3-pointer, finishing with three.

Up Next
The Cyclones will return to the court on Friday, November 6, when they face Southern Miss in the home-opening contest at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones and Golden Eagles will square off at 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.