As if Nate Heise was going to be one-upped by his sister.
Hours after Taylor Heise scored her first Olympic goal for the United States women’s hockey team, her brother followed suit with a monumental play of his own. Because for all the stars in No. 6 Iowa State’s 70-67 win over No. 2 Houston on Monday, it was Nate — a graduate wing who averages 5.1 points off the bench — who drained the game-deciding 3 with under 90 seconds to play.
That basket, the Cyclones’ last of the night, was the exclamation point on Iowa State’s game-ending 17-4 run against the Coogs. And with it, TJ Otzelberger’s team completed a 10-point, second-half comeback for its third top-10 win this season (and second in just three days).
Hilton magic, indeed.
Hilton. Magic.#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/JV4UkuF5AO
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 17, 2026
Heise has been a key contributor for the Cyclones all season, but nobody expected him to be the difference in Monday’s clash between two Big 12 juggernauts and top-six defenses. That said, nobody expected two defenses of this caliber to cede 13 combined first-half 3s, either. But so it goes.
Houston and Iowa State are regularly two of the most aggressive defenses in the nation, with similar propensities for forcing turnovers and not allowing easy 2s. But in the first half, both offenses looked undisturbed by that pressure, especially Iowa State, which seemed to always make the right decision when Houston blitzed its ball-screen scenarios. When Houston didn’t tag, ISU was content to hit the short roll and play from there, usually behind star forward Joshua Jefferson, who finished with a team-best in points (12) and assists (five). And when Houston did tag, ISU’s ballhandlers had the vision and awareness to make perfect skip passes.
Just like the one Jefferson made to Heise with 1:17 remaining, which put the Cyclones up for good.
But under Kelvin Sampson, anytime Houston has a half like that — allowing an opponent, even one with a top-15 offense, to shoot 56 percent with just two turnovers — the Coogs seemingly flip the switch. And so it was early after intermission, when Sampson’s insistence on better rebounding started to immediately pay dividends. There was no better example of that than when Houston center Chris Cenac Jr. grabbed three offensive rebounds on the same possession shortly after halftime, which was more than the two offensive boards UH had in the entire first half. Cenac finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, 10 of which came in the second half.
Between Cenac’s glasswork and Kingston Flemings’ magnificent shot-making, Houston steadily started to pull away: by 5, 8 and eventually 10 with 7:09 to play. Flemings — who finished with a game-high 22 points and four made 3s despite not making a single triple in five games — was particularly unstoppable, a dizzying blend of speed and pull-up shooting, and continued to make his case as the best guard in this year’s class. Flemings was on such a roll that Houston’s offense barely missed a beat without graduate guard Emanuel Sharp, who scored all 16 of his points in the first half but went to the bench with 14:32 left after picking up his fourth personal foul.
Considering Iowa State had lost 10 straight games in which it trailed by 10 points or more in the second half — and Houston’s penchant for never wilting — it appeared as if even Hilton magic had its shortcomings.
But steadily, the Cyclones started chipping into the deficit, showcasing the well-roundedness that got them off to a 16-0 start this season. Though Jefferson was a key cog all night, it was Otzelberger’s role players — Heise, freshman Jamarion Batemon and backup big Dominykas Pleta — who scored 13 of Iowa State’s 17 points down the stretch. Batemon hit a massive pair of 3s, including one with 2:10 left that temporarily put ISU ahead, and Pleta was the beneficiary of Tamin Lipsey’s driving-and-dishing.
Ultimately, it was Heise who delivered the dagger, uncorking from the corner right in front of Iowa State’s bench.
Houston still had a chance to win late, calling timeout with the ball with 19.5 seconds left. Down 2, Sampson put the ball in Flemings’ hands, as he has so often this season, but the freshman slipped while driving down the lane and had to tip it to Cenac nearby. Cenac then airballed a hook shot, which Iowa State center Blake Buchanan rebounded before getting fouled.
Even though Buchanan then missed the front end of his subsequent one-and-one, Lipsey flew out of nowhere for the game-saving offensive rebound, tipping the ball to Jefferson with 1.9 seconds left.
And stamping Heise as the Cyclones’ hero of the night.
Besides ensuring Monday is a day the Heise family will never forget, Monday’s comeback win — Iowa State’s ninth straight at home against a top-10 foe — sets the stage for a colossal Big 12 game Saturday.
Houston now turns around to host No. 4 Arizona, itself reeling after consecutive losses and set to play No. 23 BYU on Wednesday. If Arizona wins against those Cougars, it’ll set up a battle for first place between two of the nation’s top four teams Saturday, which may in turn have a ripple effect on the top seeding of the NCAA Tournament.