Cyclones Hold Off Baylor Rally to Stay Perfect at Home

AMES — No. 7 Iowa State remained unbeaten at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, surviving a late Baylor surge to claim a 72-69 victory over the Bears.

The Cyclones (21-2, 8-2 Big 12) built a commanding lead late in the second half before withstanding a frantic 14-2 run by Baylor (13-10, 3-8 Big 12) over the final three minutes to complete a season sweep of the Bears.

Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State with 21 points, marking his 11th 20-point performance of the season. The Cyclones shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the second half, helping them establish control after a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes.

Joshua Jefferson finished with 15 points, scoring 10 after halftime, while Tamin Lipsey added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Lipsey also recorded two steals, moving him past Kansas great Mario Chalmers into third place on the Big 12’s all-time career steals list with 284.

Baylor’s Cameron Carr led all scorers with 24 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Tounde Yessoufou added a pair of late threes during the Bears’ comeback attempt.

Iowa State never trailed early, taking a 19-13 lead midway through the first half, but Baylor briefly seized momentum behind three straight deep shots from Carr. After a brief scoring drought by both teams, the Cyclones regained the edge and carried a 37-33 lead into halftime.

Baylor opened the second half on an 11-4 run to reclaim the lead, but Iowa State answered quickly. A Blake Buchanan dunk and a Jefferson three sparked a surge that pushed the Cyclones in front for good. Lipsey’s back-to-back drives with just over seven minutes remaining stretched the lead to double digits.

The Cyclones appeared in control with a 70-55 advantage under three minutes to play before Baylor’s late push cut the margin to three in the final seconds. Iowa State closed it out at the free-throw line to secure the win.

The Cyclones also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Baylor 37-25.

Iowa State returns to action Tuesday, Feb. 10, when it travels to TCU for an 8 p.m. tipoff on FS1.