Baylor Bears Narrowly Edged Out by Iowa State Cyclones in Fierce Conference Clash

In a closely contested conference game, the Baylor Bears, ranked 4th with a record of 12-2, were narrowly defeated by the unranked Iowa State Cyclones at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The final score read 66-63 in favor of the home team.

The Baylor Bears started strong out of the gate, putting up an impressive 24 points in the first quarter compared to Iowa State's 11. However, momentum shifted as the Cyclones rallied back with 18 points to Baylor's 13 in the second quarter. The third quarter saw an intense battle with Baylor scoring another solid 17 points but falling behind as Iowa State surged with 23 points. In a nail-biting final quarter, despite their efforts and leading for portions of the game, Baylor could only manage to add nine more points to their tally while Iowa State secured their lead with an additional 14.

Throughout this hard-fought match-up, both teams displayed remarkable defensive skills with each recording three blocks and nine steals apiece. The Bears showcased their teamwork on offense with a total of sixteen assists but struggled slightly from beyond the arc shooting at twenty-seven percent from three-point range.

Baylor's inside presence was felt as they scored twenty-four points in paint and grabbed thirty-one rebounds over four quarters; however, they also turned over possession seventeen times which translated into twenty-one points for Iowa State off those turnovers. Despite these challenges, Baylor maintained a near fifty-two percent success rate on two-point attempts.

Iowa State capitalized on their opportunities at James H. Hilton Coliseum before an engaged crowd of nine thousand four hundred twenty fans who witnessed six times tied and five lead changes during this competitive matchup. They outrebounded Baylor thirty-six to thirty-one and had slightly fewer turnovers at twenty-one which contributed significantly to their narrow victory.

The upcoming schedule has the Baylor Bears returning home to Foster Pavilion where they will face off against UCF Knights on January twentieth at three o'clock PM Central Time Zone. Fans can catch all live action via ESPN+ internet broadcast network from Waco's Foster Pavilion located within Texas' zip code area seven six seven zero one.