Instead of an early second-half swoon sinking the Cyclones, it was a brutal stretch that started with 13 minutes to play that clinched another loss to Baylor, 67-53.
Michael Jacobson’s jumper three minutes into the second half got the Cyclones to within 48-44. ISU played the top-ranked team in the country to within a couple scores over the next 4 ½ minutes, but that's when the wheels came off.
The game’s momentum turned on one sequence with 13 minutes to play when Solomon Young was whistled for a questionable offensive foul. Head coach Steve Prohm objected and was assessed a technical foul.
It was all downhill for there, as the Bears got the opening it needed to go on a 17-2 that took the wind out a Hilton Coliseum crowd that had been buzzing minutes earlier. Devonte Bandoo scored seven points during the span to give Baylor a spark during the game’s decisive run.
A nearly packed house watched the Cyclones suffer another disappointing loss to Baylor after playing the team to some memorable clashes in recent seasons. This one dropped I-State to 9-11 on the season and to 2-5 in conference play. It was the fourth loss at Hilton Coliseum of the 2019-20 season.
Rasir Bolton and Tyrese Haliburton certainly came to play against the Bears, scoring 19 and 17 points respectively. Bolton hit 7-of-14 from the field and was 4-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc, while Haliburton struggled from the field but made up for it by being a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.
However, the other eight Cyclones to see action couldn’t get going and shot a combined 7-for-25 from the field. Jacobson and George Conditt were the next-highest scorers with four points each. ISU got just six points from its bench on Wednesday night.
Baylor won the game inside, outrebounding the Cyclones 40-28 margin and outscoring them by a 44-22 margin.
The Cyclones got off to the quick start Prohm had hoped for in the early-going. Three early turnovers cost Baylor in the opening few minutes, as ISU scored the game’s first five points.
The Bears responded with a 9-0 run over a span of 2:46 to take a four-point lead over Iowa State at the first media timeout with 15:07 left in the half. The Cyclones missed four of their first five shots during the span.
ISU answered with six straight and retook the lead, 14-13, on a jumper from Haliburton with 11:11 remaining in the half. However, Baylor’s MaCio Teague had the answer with a 3-pointer on the other end to give his team back the edge.
The Bears went on to take a nine-point lead later in the half, courtesy of a four-plus minute scoreless streak by the Cyclones. Prohm called timeout with 5:31 hoping to stem the Baylor tide. Bolton knocked down a 3-pointer coming out of the break to end the scoreless streak, but the Bears still led by a 27-21 margin.
Davion Mitchell’s two free throws with 1:16 left in the half gave the Bears their first double digit lead of the game, 33-23. I-State struggled to match its opponent, struggling to just a 36-percent shooting percentage in the first half.
I-State travels to Texas on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.
