L.J. Cryer’s 28 leads No. 5 Houston past No. 8 Iowa State
HOUSTON — L.J. Cryer scored 28 points, Milos Uzan added 19 points and No. 5 Houston held on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 68-59 on Saturday.
Cryer and Uzan combined to shoot 18 of 27, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp added 11 points for Houston (23-4, 15-1 Big 12), which won its sixth straight.
Milan Momcilovic scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead a furious rally for the Cyclones (21-6, 11-5). Nate Heise added 12 points, and Tamin Lipsey scored 11.
Trailing by 16 midway through the second half, the Cyclones used an 18-3 run to cut the lead to 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Heise with eight minutes remaining. Houston responded with four straight points to push the lead back to five.
The Cyclones struggled offensively at times without their two leading scorers — Keshon Gilbert was out with a muscle strain and Curtis Jones missed the game due to illness — but they did well defensively forcing Houston into a season-high 17 turnovers.
Houston shot 53% and went 10 of 17 from distance, while Iowa State shot 39%, including 8 of 20 behind the arc.
With the win, the Cougars inched closer to a second straight Big 12 regular-season title. They currently lead second-place Arizona by 2 ½ games with four games left. Houston is 30-4 in the Big 12 in its two seasons in the league.
Houston travels to No. 9 Texas Tech on Monday while Iowa State takes on Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Tuesday.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
The Fresno State men’s basketball program has drawn scrutiny for potential ties to sports gambling, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
The NCAA and university are both investigating, sources said, and the school has removed one player from the team and suspended two others for at least Saturday’s game against Air Force.
The investigation came about because of a tip to Fresno State, which then launched its internal investigation, a source told ESPN. The school subsequently involved the NCAA.
Fresno State said in a statement that guards Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins were “being withheld from competition as the University reviews an eligibility matter.”
Weaver (12.5 PPG) and Collins (12 PPG) are two of Fresno State’s top three scorers. Collins also leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
A third former Bulldogs player, Mykell Robinson, is also under investigation. Robinson, who was averaging 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, had not played for Fresno State since Jan. 11 and is no longer on the team.
The Fresno Bee first reported on the investigation into the program.
Fresno State is playing through a historically bad season in school history. The Bulldogs have lost nine straight games to fall to 5-22 (1-15 MWC). Their defeat in their last game, by 23 on Wednesday against San Diego State, set a program record for most losses in a season.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
ESPN
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L.J. Cryer scores 28 to lead No. 5 Houston past No. 8 Iowa State 68-59
L.J. Cryer extends Houston’s lead to 10 with a smooth step-back three against Iowa State.
HOUSTON — — L.J. Cryer scored 28 points, Milos Uzan added 19 points and No. 5 Houston held on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 68-59 on Saturday.
Cryer and Uzan combined to shoot 18 of 27, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp added 11 points for Houston (23-4, 15-1 Big 12), which won its sixth straight.
Milan Momcilovic scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead a furious rally for the Cyclones (21-6, 11-5). Nate Heise added 12 points, and Tamin Lipsey scored 11.
Trailing by 16 midway through the second half, the Cyclones used an 18-3 run to cut the lead to 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Heise with eight minutes remaining. Houston responded with four straight points to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways
Iowa State: The Cyclones struggled offensively at times without their two leading scorers, but they did well defensively forcing Houston into a season-high 17 turnovers. Keshon Gilbert was out with a muscle strain and Curtis Jones missed the game due to illness.
Houston: The Cougars inched closer to a second straight Big 12 regular-season title, leading second-place Arizona by 2 ½ games with four games left. Houston is 30-4 in the Big 12 in its two seasons in the league.
Key moment
Iowa State closed within 58-56 on two free throws by Momcilovic with 4 ½ minutes left, but Uzan responded with a 3 and the lead never dipped below four the rest of the way.
Key stat
Houston shot 53% and went 10 of 17 from distance, while Iowa State shot 39%, including 8 of 20 behind the arc.
Up next
Houston travels to No. 9 Texas Tech on Monday. Iowa State travels to Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
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Iowa State Cyclones
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Game Information
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
Men’s College Basketball News
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISU | 22 | 37 | 59 |
| HOU | 34 | 34 | 68 |
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 15-1 | – | 23-4 |
| Arizona | 12-3 | 2.5 | 18-8 |
| Texas Tech | 12-4 | 3 | 21-6 |
| Iowa State | 11-5 | 4 | 21-6 |
| BYU | 9-6 | 5.5 | 18-8 |
| Kansas | 8-7 | 6.5 | 17-9 |
| Baylor | 8-7 | 6.5 | 16-10 |
| TCU | 8-8 | 7 | 15-12 |
| Utah | 7-8 | 7.5 | 15-11 |
| Kansas State | 7-8 | 7.5 | 13-13 |
| West Virginia | 7-9 | 8 | 16-11 |
| Cincinnati | 6-10 | 9 | 16-11 |
| Oklahoma State | 5-10 | 9.5 | 13-13 |
| UCF | 4-11 | 10.5 | 13-13 |
| Arizona State | 3-12 | 11.5 | 12-14 |
| Colorado | 1-14 | 13.5 | 10-16 |
ESPN’s Jay Williams gives high praise to UH men’s basketball program: ‘It’s an honor to come here’
For two hours on Saturday morning, college basketball’s premier pregame show will put the spotlight on coach Kelvin Sampson and what he’s built in Houston.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — ESPN’s bright red GameDay bus pulled up to Fertitta Center.
Transmission trucks line up on the other side of the University of Houston men’s basketball home. For two hours on Saturday morning, college basketball’s premier pregame show will put the spotlight on Kelvin Sampson and what he’s built in Houston. GameDay will set the table for one of the games of the season in the Big 12 with No. 5 UH against No. 8 Iowa State.
SEE ALSO: ESPN College GameDay returns to UH as men’s basketball takes on Big 12 rival Iowa State on Saturday
ESPN’s veteran analyst Seth Greenberg calls the job that Sampson has done at UH “miraculous.” Greenberg was a longtime coach at South Florida and Virginia Tech, and that gives him a keen appreciation for what Sampson has accomplished.
“He took a worn-out program that lost its identity and its tradition. He’s built a model program,” Greenberg said.
Every program in America would love to welcome the GameDay broadcast and the national attention that comes with it. ESPN’s Jay Williams earned Naismith College Player of the Year honors under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. His remarkable career frames his praise for Sampson and the Cougars.
“When I watch the sustained excellence over his time period here, that needs to be appreciated,” Williams said. “I think it’s an honor to come here.”
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