The fifth-ranked Houston Cougars passed their latest test en route to a second consecutive Big 12 regular-season title by fending off No. 8 Iowa State on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.The Cougars (23-4, 15-1 Big 12) hold a three-game lead in the conference standings with four games remaining in the regular season. Houston can take a significant step toward securing the top seed for the conference tournament by defeating ninth-ranked Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4) — the lone team to beat the Cougars in Big 12 play this season — on the road on Monday.Houston led by 16 points over Iowa State midway through the second half before grinding out a 68-59 win. The Cyclones were missing their top two scorers, Keshon Gilbert (muscle strain) and Curtis Jones (illness), yet rallied to within one point with eight minutes left, before the Cougars rode a 28-point effort from L.J. Cryer to victory.”Let’s not sit here and slice and dice being 15-1,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “When we lost to Auburn, they had the airplane drama. That really bonded them together. I thought that really elevated them. Texas Tech came in here and lost arguably their best player (JT Toppin). I don’t know whether he is or not, but he is a great player.”So (Saturday) it was similar, and we have won a lot of games without or best this or best that because you have such a great program. Texas Tech has a great program, Iowa State has a great program and so does Houston, so when you are missing players, they just find a way to compete.”A win over the Red Raiders would mark the fourth for Houston against a ranked conference foe this season. That gauntlet has proven especially challenging, but one the Cougars anticipated.