GAMEDAY Mens Basketball

Iowa State 78, Baylor 72

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Basketball Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Gabe Kalscheur hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, helping Iowa State overcome a spectacular performance by Baylor forward Jalen Bridges and sending the Cyclones to a 78-72 victory over the No. 10 Bears in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Jaren Holmes added 17 points, Tamin Lipsey had 12 and Tre King 10 for the fifth-seeded Cyclones (19-12), who followed up a win over the Bears by beating them for the fifth time in six conference tournament games.

Bridges was held to five points on 1-for-9 shooting when the teams met last weekend in Waco, Texas, but the West Virginia transfer went 10 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from beyond the arc in the quarterfinals. Bridges topped his career high with a 3 early in the second half, which gave the Bears a 50-42 lead, and wound up finishing with 28 points.

It wasn't enough against the Cyclones, who are trying to repeat their 2019 title as the No. 5 seed. They outhustled the fourth-seeded Bears to just about every loose ball. They crashed the offensive glass, often getting three or four shots in each trip down floor. And they had Kalscheur and Co. lighting it up from beyond the arc.

So much for that four-game losing streak Iowa State carried into March.

The first of four quarterfinals featuring eight teams that could be in the NCAA Tournament was mostly played before vast sections of empty seats at T-Mobile Center.

The game was typical, physical Big 12: The Bears' Adam Flagler was trapped near midcourt and hit the deck early on, sending him limping off the floor, and fellow guard Dale Bonner was similarly trapped and raked across his face in the final seconds, leaving him writhing around in pain.

Flagler returned to hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Baylor a 41-38 lead at the break.

Bridges gave Iowa State fits: He drilled a couple more 3-pointers early in the second half, and was 9 of 9 from the field and 6 of 6 from the arc before missing his first shot with 11:45 to go.

When he did finally miss, Iowa State capitalized when Holmes dropped a 3 of his own from the top of the key, giving the Cyclones a 54-53 lead and forcing Bears coach Scott Drew to call a timeout.

THE TAKEAWAY

Iowa State: Had 21 offensive rebounds to five for the Bears and finished with a 44-17 edge on the glass. That led to a 36-14 advantage on points in the paint, even though the Cyclones are known more for their 3-point shooting, and a balanced attack that the Bears couldn't match.

Baylor: Simply didn't get enough help for Bridges. Star freshman Keyonte George scored 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting before fouling out. Flagler had 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting. LJ Cryer was 3 for 10 for 10 points.

March 9, 2023