No. 7 Iowa State made a robust assertion on Saturday, dealing with No. 1 Houston, 69-41, to win the Big 12 Championship behind a historic defensive effort.
According to OptaStats, the Cyclones’ 28-point margin of victory was the biggest over an AP No. 1 crew since UCLA defeated Houston by 32, 101-69, within the 1968 Final Four.
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Iowa State took a seven-point benefit on the halftime break, 30-23, earlier than shutting Houston down within the second half. In the second half alone, the Cyclones got here solely a basket in need of matching the top-ranked Cougars’ level complete, outscoring them 39-18.
Overall, Houston shot simply 26.8% from the sphere (15-of-56) and a measly 18.2% (4-of-22) from past the arc. Meanwhile, Iowa State made half its alternatives (25-of-50) from the sphere whereas taking pictures 40.9% (9-of-22) from three.
Keshon Gibert was named the convention event MVP, recording 16 factors, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Forward Milan Momcilovic led the crew with 18 factors and 6 rebounds and guard Tamin Lipsey completed with 9 factors, six assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and a block.
For Houston, 41 factors are the bottom for this system in a recreation because the Cougars put up 39 factors in a loss to Oklahoma City in 1951, per CBS Sports.
Conversely, the win clinches Iowa State’s first Big 12 title since 2019 whereas serving to 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’ve made a case for a No. 1 seed within the bracket.
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