WACO, Texas — Iowa State basketball has had trouble against Baylor in Central Texas in recent years, but that changed on Dec. 7.
The Bears still made Iowa State work for it through, but the third-ranked Cyclones went on to win, 70-60, in their first road game of Big 12 play.
The Cyclones improved to 15-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, marking the best start in school history and the longest win streak in program history.
Tamin Lipsey paced the Cyclones with 24 points, while Joshua Jefferson had a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double.
Here are five numbers that stuck out in the Cyclones’ win:
30.6% — Baylor shooting percentage for the game
Baylor entered Wednesday’s contest ranked No. 12 in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. The Bears had been averaging a Big 12-best 93.1 points per game, which was good for 11th in the country.
Iowa State clamped down on the Bears throughout the game.
Baylor was held to a season-low 60 points. The Bears shot just 19-of-62 (30.6%) overall. They went 5-for-27 (18.5%) from beyond the arc.
Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Bears never backed down and had some stretches midway through the second half where they were able to string together some momentum and trim the deficit to as low as five points in a couple of instances. However, Baylor was never able to overtake the Cyclones in the final 20 minutes.
Baylor shot just 18.8% in the first half, but perhaps the Bears will have regrets over their free-throw shooting throughout the game. Baylor shot a respectable 75.9% from the line heading into Wednesday. Despite getting to the line more frequently than Iowa State, Baylor only cashed in on 17-of-29 free throws (58.6%).
11 minutes, 19 seconds — Time Baylor went without a single made shot
Baylor standout Cameron Carr hit a 3-pointer to cap off an 8-0 Bears run. It was his second long-range make of the first half, which gave Baylor a 21-13 lead, with 6:26 left in the first.
Iowa State promptly called time out, and the Cyclones regrouped with a staunch defensive effort as they chipped away at the deficit. Iowa State was able to snag a 25-24 halftime lead, and it came out strong defensively in the second half.
Baylor finally got its first bucket of the second half when Isaac Williams IV got a tough off-balanced shot to drop with 15:07 left in the game.
During the Bears’ 11-minute, 19-second drought between made shots, Iowa State was able to rattle off an extended game-changing 26-4 run that allowed the Cyclones to take control. A Jefferson dunk finished the Cyclone flurry and gave Iowa State its largest lead of the game, a 14-point edge with 15:19 remaining.
20 — Tamin Lipsey’s second-half points for Iowa State
After being whistled for two quick fouls in the opening minutes of the game and being relegated to the bench, Lipsey showed how his presence alone can change things.
That effect is further magnified when he’s able to score at the rate he did in the second half.
Lipsey finished with an impressive 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Of his game-high point total, 20 of them came in a turnover-free second half.
Lipsey was ultra-efficient after the break, shooting 6-of-8 overall. He also went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and was 6-for-7 at the free-throw line. He even added a dunk on a fast break.
7 — Joshua Jefferson double-doubles this season
Fresh off a triple-double performance — the first of his career and ninth-ever in program history — Jefferson did what he’s done many times this season.
However, this double-double might have just been his fastest one of the year. He drilled a deep 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half to give Iowa State its first lead and bumped his individual stats to a 12-point, 11-rebound first-half double-double.
He went on to finish with 19 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and six turnovers.
57.1% — Iowa State second-half shooting percentage
The Cyclones had arguably their worst first-half performance of the season, but managed to hold a one-point halftime lead thanks to Jefferson’s late shot and some excellent defense.
They were able to pick things up in the second half and find better offensive momentum.
Lipsey, who dealt with early foul trouble, wasn’t restrained by whistles in the second half and the Cyclones seemed to get greater flow. They also fed off of defensive plays and got some finishes in transition to build a double-digit lead at one point.
The Cyclones shot 27.8% in the first half, but they shot an improved 16-of-28 (57.1%) for the remainder of the game.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 numbers that stood out in Iowa State basketball’s win over Baylor
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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