KANSAS CITY – Iowa State (19-12, 9-9 Big 12) flustered No. 10 Baylor (22-10, 11-7) for the third time this season in a 78-72 quarterfinal victory at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship this afternoon in T-Mobile Center.
Iowa State’s second-half dominance was the difference, overcoming an eight-point deficit and outscoring the Bears, 36-22 in the final 15 minutes of the game.
The Cyclones received big-time performances from seniors Gabe Kalscheur and Jaren Holmes, who poured in 24 and 17 points, respectively. Kalscheur was key in the Cyclone second-half resurgence, draining 3-of-4 shots from downtown to help ISU erase an early deficit in the second stanza. He ended the game with a season-high six 3-pointers and his sixth 20-point effort of the season.
True freshman Tamin Lipsey was a stat-line stuffer. The rookie from Ames posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also had five assists and a career-high five steals.
Baylor was led by Jalen Bridges, who had 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field and a 7-of-8 effort from 3-point range.
How It Happened
It was a sharp first half on both sides, as Baylor went into the break with a 41-38 lead. The Cyclones led throughout most of the first half until Adam Flagler hit a jumper in the paint to give the Bears a 26-25 lead with 6:32 remaining.
BU led by five points with under two minutes before halftime. Tre King then scored down low and Kalscheur buried a trey to tie the score at 38-all with :35 seconds left. Flagler then hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the three-point cushion.
BU shot 57 percent from the field compared to ISU’s 52 percent. Bridges made all six of his field goal attempts, including three from long range. The Cyclones were able to hang by forcing 10 first-half turnovers while converting 12 points off Bear miscues.Kalscheur had 11 points and Lipsey had five steals in the first half.
Bridges continued to hurt the Cyclones, increasing his field-goal made streak to nine with a trio of 3-pointers to begin the second half and raise the BU lead to 50-42.
The Cyclones bounced right back. Kalscheur scored seven points, including a corner trey, in a 12-3 run to move ISU in front, 54-53 at the 11:33 mark of the second half. Kalscheur stayed hot, connecting on two more treys in the next seven minutes to push the Cyclone lead to 68-59.
Moments later Demarion Watson fought for an offensive board and flipped a dart to a cutting Lipsey to give the Cyclones a 70-60 advantage with 3:43 remaining in the game.
ISU maintain control the rest of the way for its school-record sixth win over a top-10 team this season.
Top Performance
Tamin Lipsey was all over the court, tallying 13 points, 11 rebounds, five rebounds and five steals en route to his first career double-double. Lipsey’s steal total was a career high and one of the best totals by a rookie in Cyclone history. His 67 season steals ranks second on ISU’s freshman list and sixth all-time for a Big 12 rookie.
What’s Next
Iowa State will play the winner of the Kansas-West Virginia game in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship tomorrow night at 6 p.m. CT. The game is televised by ESPN2.
