No. 3 Iowa State opened the new year with a 74-55 win over No. 25 Baylor for its 26th consecutive home win inside Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones led by as many as 25 points and recorded a wire-to-wire victory to improve to 2-0 in Big 12 play.
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert scored a team-high 16 points and forward Milan Momcilovic added 15 in the win. Iowa State jumped out to a 33-25 halftime advantage and used a relentless defensive effort to hand Baylor its worst defeat since a 101-63 loss on opening night against Gonzaga in Spokane.
The Cyclones have won their last nine games since suffering their first and only loss to Auburn in November's Maui Invitational. Iowa State opened Big 12 play with a 79-69 win over Colorado on the road earlier this week.
MOMCILOVIC FROM DEEEEP.@CYCLONEMBB IS UP BY 18! pic.twitter.com/8qrclopHLv
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 4, 2025
Baylor entered the weekend as one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country. The Bears ranked No. 36 in Division l basketball in 3-point percentage (37.6) but failed to knock down shots in a hostile environment at Hilton Coliseum. Baylor finished 7 of 29 (24.1%) from beyond the arc as a team.
Baylor star freshman VJ Edgecombe recorded only his third single-digit scoring performance this season and finished with four points. Edgecombe shot 1 of 9 from the floor, and his team combined to shoot just 29.7% (19 of 64) on field goal attempts.
Iowa State (12-1, 2-0 Big 12) hosts Utah on Tuesday. Baylor (9-4, 1-1) continues conference play against No. 16 Cincinnati on the same day.
The home court advantage inside Hilton Coliseum is real
Life inside Hilton Coliseum can be a nightmare for opposing teams. Baylor was the latest team to fall victim to the magic inside Iowa State's home gym. The Cyclones won their 26th consecutive home game with a wire-to-wire win over Baylor to extend the nation's fourth-longest active home winning streak. Iowa State's win over Baylor gave coach T.J. Otzelberger his 23rd win over a ranked team since taking over the program in 2021.
THE LOB. THE JAM. @CycloneMBB continues to push its lead higher against Baylor. pic.twitter.com/uy1Z6xRrOL
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 4, 2025
Iowa State wins with defense
Iowa State entered the weekend as the highest-scoring offense in the Big 12, but the way they won Saturday's game against the Bears was on defense. The Cyclones held one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country in check and used their strong bench to pull away for good. Iowa State outscored Baylor in bench points 25-10, and a majority of them came from Curtis Jones -- one of the best reserve guards in the country. Iowa State should be the current favorite to win the Big 12 heading into the second weekend of January.
Big stretch upcoming for Baylor
Baylor dropped to 2-4 against ranked competition this season with the loss to Iowa State. The Bears opened the 2024-25 season with a dud against Gonzaga but followed it up with a 72-67 win over Arkansas. Since that win over the Razorbacks, Baylor has dropped games against Tennessee, UConn and Iowa State. The losses on Baylor's résumé aren't something to lose sleep over. Tennessee and Iowa State are top-three teams, UConn is the two-time reigning national champs and Gonzaga is the favorite to win the WCC. Baylor faces Cincinnati at home and then plays Arizona and Arizona State on the road during its next three games. Baylor needs to go 2-1 (at least) in that stretch to get back on track.
