BYU Basketball Holds On for Spectacular Double Overtime Win at No. 10 Iowa State

On Tuesday night, the BYU basketball team went on the road and pulled off a double overtime upset over no. 10 Iowa State. With the win, the Cougars improved to 13-6 in conference play and positioned themselves for a top-four seed in the conference tournament. The win marked BYU’s seventh consecutive win, the longest conference winning streak since BYU joined the Big 12.

BYU vs Iowa State || FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS pic.twitter.com/kVzJmFJJSY

— BYU Men’s Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 5, 2025

There is no overstating how big this win was for BYU. With the win, BYU not only positioned itself for a double bye in the conference tournament, but also to improve their seed-line in the NCAA Tournament.

This game was one of the wildest college basketball games you will ever see. BYU did not score any points in the first 6:25 of this game. Iowa State got out to a nine-point lead with 10:03 remaining. Then BYU went on a run that changed the course of the game.

To close out the first half, BYU went on a 28-10 run, taking a 33-24 lead into the halftime locker room. BYU was pushing the pace to counter the defensive pressure from Iowa State, and the Cougars started converting on open looks.

To start the second half, BYU went on another run. The Cougars extended their lead to 21 when Trey Stewart threw a lob to Dallin Hall for a fast break alley-oop. It was one of the best plays of the season thus far in what has become a magical run for this BYU basketball team.

Then the turnovers, which plagued BYU to start the game, came back to the forefront. Iowa State went on a run fueled by BYU turnovers. The Cylones outscored the Cougars 35-14 in the final 13 minutes to send the game to overtime.

Despite the turning the ball over 24 times in regulation, BYU found themselves in overtime on the road against a top-10 team. In overtime, BYU leaned on veterans Dallin Hall, Richie Saunders, and Keba Keita. The Cougars also got two key buckets from Egor Demin including a layup to tie the game at the end of overtime.

Hall was brilliant, playing his best game of the season. He finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on the night. He led BYU with six points in overtime to pull out the win.

Richie Saunders played another great game. Saunders scored 23 points on a perfect 13/13 from the free throw line. He didn’t have his most efficient night shooting the basketball, but he made up for it from the free throw line.

Keba Keita was, in a word, brilliant. Keita was +15 on the night. That was second best on the team behind only Egor Demin (+19). Keita dominated the paint throughout the night, creating multiple second chance opportunities and preventing rim attempts from Iowa State. He also had one of the best defensive plays in BYU basketball history. In the first overtime, a Egor Demin turnover led a runout for Iowa State. Keita chased the play down from behind and blocked the dunk attempt on the other end.

Iowa State simply does not lose at home very often. The Cyclones were 33-1 in their last two seasons and home. When they have been healthy, which they were on Tuesday night, they had not lost at home this season. The Cougars came into Ames and spoiled Senior Night.

BYU returns home to take on archrival Utah on Saturday night. A win in that game would send BYU to the postseason riding an eight-game winning streak.