By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com PublisherFollow Chris on Twitter @ChrisMWilliams
Baylor shot 72 percent from the field in the second half. That’s after taking an eight point lead into the halftime break.
How do you think this one ended?
Iowa State traveled to Waco on Monday and lost to the 10th ranked Bears by a 79-64 final. The Cyclones dropped to 8-5 in the Big 12 Conference while Baylor took over lone control of third place in the Big 12 at 9-4.
Here’s the recap.
BOX SCORE: Baylor 79, Iowa State 64
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Melvin Ejim – The sophomore was one of the few bright spots for Iowa State on Monday night. Melvin Ejim went 7-of-11 from the field and scored 17 points with seven rebounds.
THREE UP
Baylor – Give credit where it is due. It’s February 13 and Baylor has only lost to Kansas and Missouri. Those are two top 10 teams for those keeping score at home.
This was a statement win by the Bears, who had lost two straight games prior to the Cyclone invasion.
Not only did Baylor beat Iowa State, they did it in style leaving no question as to who the better team was on that night. Three Bears finished the evening in double figures. Perry Jones III led Baylor by going 8-of-13 with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Percy Gibson – Iowa State’s freshman post player went 4-for-4 and scored nine points in the defeat. Gibson was efficient against some of the Big 12’s most talented post players and showed a lot of potential on the offensive side of the basketball. If he keeps progressing and gets better on defense, Percy Gibson could be a good one.
Relax – If I would have told all of you Cyclone fanatics that Iowa State would be 18-8 (8-5) on February 15, the overwhelming majority (realistic fans) would have taken it in a heartbeat.
No. Iowa State didn’t play a good defensive game on Monday night. But the Cyclones lost on the road in the Big 12 to a top 10 team. With home games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech (teams picked to finish ninth and 10th in the Big 12) coming up over the next week, this isn’t the end of the world.
Here’s a stone cold prediction for you. Iowa State will finish the rest of the way and go 11-7 in the Big 12 this season.
Onto three down…
THREE DOWN
Out-matched – I just got this text message from Waco: Baylor just dunked again.
We knew that Iowa State would have its hands full with Baylor’s length, but the very thought of the Bears shooting 60 percent from the floor in this game was unheard of leading up to the game.
Iowa State was forced to fire up 26 3-pointers int his one while Baylor’s offense saw one easy look after another.
For the first time this season, Iowa State was out-matched by an opponent.
Chris Allen – After leading the way for the Cyclones multiple times over the last two weeks, senior Chris Allen struggled on Monday going 1-for-10 from the field while only scoring three points in the game.
Guard play – Allen wasn’t the only Iowa State guard who struggled in this one. Iowa State’s three starting backcourt players (Allen, Chris Babb and Scott Christopherson) combined to go 7-for-25 in the game. Add sixth man Tyrus McGee’s 1-for-5 night to that line and you can see why it was a tough night for the Cyclones.
How did Iowa State manage to shoot even 44.1 percent from the floor? Ejim went 7-for-11 and sophomore Royce White was 7-for-12.
