Rob Gray

Tamin Lipsey snared two critical steals while shooting 2-for-13 from the field in Iowa State’s win over Oklahoma. His ability to help his team navigate the season’s highs and lows is a big reason why the No. 8 Cyclones sit one game behind top-ranked Houston in the conference standings.

On a night where Iowa State looked out of sorts offensively in myriad ways, Demarion Watson delivered countless times to help the Cyclones eventually surge to a 58-45 triumph over Oklahoma before a sold-out crowd of 14,267 at Hilton Coliseum.

Jackson Paveletzke’s role for No. 8 Iowa State keeps expanding as his team prepares to take on Oklahoma in Wednesday’s 7 p.m. Big 12 men’s basketball game at Hilton Coliseum. He notched conference season highs in minutes (16) and points (9) in ISU’s most recent win over West Virginia and his chip-on-his-shoulder approach to the game is shared by most of his teammates.

A tight ends coach who came to Ames from Toledo with head coach Matt Campbell, he replaces Nate Scheelhaase

To call Yonger Bastida’s win by major decision, 13-4, a mere high point of fifth-ranked Iowa State’s 41-3 pummeling of short-handed and No. 7 Missouri would be a gross understatement.

Bill Fennelly said thriving from both inside and outside the line is the Iowa State women’s basketball team’s goal every night, but Saturday’s well-rounded performance in a 74-49 win over BYU hinged on near-perfect execution and the Cyclones responded.

Every basket counted as No. 6 Iowa State needed a late 14-0 surge to eventually secure a 71-64 triumph over last-place West Virginia before 14,267 fans at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State handled Houston, 76-64, Wednesday on the road to successfully complete the first segment of a four-part journey to end the regular season. The Cyclones now seek to sweep BYU and solidify their NCAA Tournament hopes.

He’s versatile. He’s disciplined. And, oh, he can shoot it. All of the above words aptly describe Iowa State senior guard Curtis Jones, but his off-the-bench production pales in comparison to his most valuable attribute: poise.

Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly said early in the season he thought freshman Audi Crooks might be a 15-20 minutes-a-game type of player. Crooks changed his mind rather quickly, though, and now she’s routinely inching into the 30-plus minutes range while largely avoiding foul trouble and fatigue.

Nate Scheelhaase is reportedly moving on after his first season of leading the Iowa State offense — and will become the pass game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams according to a social media post by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Iowa State matched Houston’s toughness on ESPN’s Big Monday. The No. 6 Cyclones even made an array of clutch shots against the No. 2 Cougars. But falling behind by 13 points early put ISU in a hole it could never climb out of Monday in a 73-65 loss to Houston in a sold-out Fertitta Center.

A look at Saturday’s Class 2A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling finals. Klayten Perreault pinned 41 of his 46 foes this season while being ranked No. 1 from start to finish. His stirring run helped the Mustangs cap a remarkable season with a second-place team trophy.

Iowa State improved to 15-0 in Hilton Coliseum this season — and all but two of those wins have come by eight points or more. The Cyclones outscored Texas Tech 28-0 in points off turnovers on Saturday and led by as many as 21 points in their 82-74 win.

Full results from Friday’s Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling semifinals, where Linn-Mar’s Kane Naaktgeboren booked a return to the finals and is motivated to close his high school career with his first state title.