clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Stunned: Baylor 79 - Iowa State 70

Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

And that's how you cough up a lead, squander a chance to win an outright conference championship, and allow a team that's never won in your arena to walk out with a win. Iowa State led by 7 with just under 8 minutes left to play before Baylor got stupid hot, ending the game on a 22-6 run to steal a huge road win in Ames, 79-70.

"Stunned" would be an accurate word to describe the feeling that most in Cyclone nation are feeling right now. Baylor simply could not miss from outside as the Bears knocked down 14-26 from deep, which included a stretch of five straight treys over the course of a 2 1/2 minute stretch late in the second half.

Adding to the implications of this loss, this is the first time Iowa State has dropped a home game all season and it snaps a 21-game winning streak in Hilton Coliseum. As for that Big 12 championship? Well, the Cyclones no longer control their own destiny and will need a hefty amount of luck to get back into that conversation.

The loss spoils a tremendous effort from Jameel McKay, who finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Matt Thomas was also stellar off the bench yet again, scoring 13 points, which included knocking down 3-5 from outside. Georges Niang finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, but was 4-12 from the field, 0-5 from outside and had 4 turnovers.

Iowa State finally managed to put together a great effort from the line, hitting 18-20 from the stripe, but shot just 6-24 from 3-point range and only shot 43.4% from the field. Baylor had five players score in double figures, led by Taurean Prince's 20 points.

As frustrating (and devastating) as this loss is, Iowa State has to rebound quickly as the Cyclones travel to Manhattan on Saturday to take on a suddenly resurgent Kansas State team. That game will tip at 3 PM.