AMES, Iowa – In its first public exhibition contest of the 2026-27 season, Iowa State fell to Creighton by a score of 83-80.
After a tightly contested first half, Creighton opened up a 19-point lead midway through the second stanza. ISU ferociously attempted to come back, trimming the deficit to as low as three points with 2:31 left, but the Bluejays had an answer for every Cyclone run. Iowa State had a shot at the buzzer to tie things up, only to see it fall short.
Six Cyclones finished in double figures, with returner Jamarion Batemon leading the way with 15 points. Newcomers Tre Singleton (12), Jaquan Johnson (12), Leon Bond (14) and Taj Manning (13) joined Batemon in double figures. Sophomore big man Dominykas Pleta rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Four Jays would go on to finish in double figures, as Katrell Harmon led all scorers with 16 points. Guards Austin Swartz, Wes Enis and Hudson Greer would follow suit and combine with Harmon to make up nine of the team’s 14 triples. Harmon not only paced the scoring, but did so passing too – leading all players with six assists.
Creighton outshot ISU both from the floor (51-43%) and from beyond the arc (48-21%) but was hindered by 19 turnovers that the Cyclone defense forced. ISU would score 24 points off those turnovers and convert 18 of them off of fast breaks.
How it Happened
Creighton gained the early momentum, using the three-ball to pull out to an eight-point lead by the first media timeout. The Cyclones would eventually grab their first lead of the game by the 12:24 mark, using a pair of Singleton free throws to pull in front.
Iowa State would only end up leading for 26 seconds, though, as the Jays wrestled back control of the contest and would finish the first half with a six-point cushion at the break.
Both teams were shooting over 48 percent from the field at the break, but CU had nine three-pointers to ISU’s three. Creighton held the rebound edge (20-11) at the half, helping power the early lead.
Creighton’s lead ballooned to double figures only two minutes into the second stanza and would grow to as large as 19 with 10:30 left on the clock. An eight-point run sparked a Cyclone comeback attempt that whittled the deficit down to three with just over two minutes remaining.
A pair of clutch three-pointers from the Bluejays in crunch time ultimately sealed the deal as ISU dropped its first exhibition of the season.
Key Performer
Tre Singleton showed off his versatility in his first game in the cardinal and gold. The sophomore finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists to go along with a pair of blocks and steals in 27 minutes of action.
