No. 6 Iowa State Falls in Ranked Road Contest

Saturday, February 21

Provo, Utah

9:30 PM

Iowa State

23-4,10-4Big 12

BYU

20-7,8-6Big 12

Iowa St.

BYU

Photo by: Joe Oliver

No. 6 Iowa State Falls in Ranked Road Contest

02.22.2026 | Men's Basketball

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PROVO, Utah – No. 6 Iowa State (23-4, 10-4 Big 12) was unable to defeat its third-straight ranked foe Saturday evening, as it fell at No. 23 BYU (20-7, 8-6 Big 12) by a score of 79-69.

An uncharacteristic first half from the Cyclones, which saw the team get outrebounded (22-14), fail to produce turnovers (only four) and get outscored in the paint (22-6), was too much to overcome in a hostile environment.

The Cyclones were led by their floor general, as Tamin Lipsey had a team-high 19 points to go along with five boards, three assists and a steal. Joshua Jefferson had 13 points, eight boards and seven assists, leading the team both on the glass and in sharing. Jamarion Batemon also finished in double figures, pouring in 14 points off the bench.

BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybansta put his full talents on display, scoring a game-high 29 points while also grabbing 10 boards and dishing nine assists – falling one shy of a triple-double. He and point guard Rob Wright III played the full 40 minutes on the evening. Kennard Davis had 17 for the Cougars, while Mihailo Bošković scored a career-high 13 points.

How it Happened
The two teams traded blows throughout the first half, as the lead changed four times. The Cougars were able to open up a six-point advantage just under ten minutes into the contest, but ISU had an answer. The Cyclones would tie the contest up at 22-all with eight minutes left on a Heise triple.

The Cyclones would take their final lead of the game at the 6:34 mark off a Jefferson three, but the Cougars would own the night from there on. BYU finished the first half on a 15-5 run to head into the break with a nine-point cushion.

The Cougs' lead ballooned to 13 by the first media timeout of the second stanza, as they strung together some early momentum. Slowly but surely, though, ISU began to chip away at the BYU lead.

Starting at the 13:49 mark, ISU went on a 16-8 run, fueled primarily by defensive stops. The Cyclones would trim the lead all the way to three, trailing 57-54 with 7:21 remaining in the game.

ISU had possession of the ball with a chance to trim the lead to one or tie things up, but a live-ball turnover resulted in a Dybansta dunk, and the Cougars regained their momentum. A quick 6-0 spurt from the Cougs put things to bed, as BYU re-established its lead. The Cougars would lead by as many as 13 down the stretch before going on to win by 10.

Key Performer
Jamarion Batemon provided a real spark off the bench for the Cyclones, spurring a second-half comeback that almost gave the Cyclones a lead. Batemon had 14 points, the second-most on the team, and went 4-5 from the line.

Notes

Tamin Lipsey set the record for career starts with 127, while he moved into sixth in school history in games played.
- Lipsey passed current ISU assistant coach Diante Garrett to move into 19^th all-time on the school's scoring list. Lipsey now has 1,368 points.
Milan Momcilovic moved into sole possession of second place on the ISU single-season 3-point record list, hitting his 100^th of the season.
- He sits two makes behind Dedric Willoughby's all-time season record.
Joshua Jefferson surpassed 250 assists as a Cyclone.

Up Next
The Cyclones will complete their Beehive State trip on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when they face Utah. The Cyclones and Utes will meet at 8 pm CT, and the game will be televised on FS1.