No. 25 MBB Comes Up Short at No. 3 Iowa State

Saturday, January 4

Ames, Iowa

1 PM

Baylor

9-4,1-1Big 12

Iowa State

12-1,2-0Big 12

Baylor

Iowa St.

No. 25 MBB Comes Up Short at No. 3 Iowa State

1/4/2025 3:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Short-handed Bears shoot just 29% in road loss

Baylorbears.com

AMES, Iowa – Scoring almost 30 points below their scoring average, the 25^th-ranked Baylor Bears shot just 29.7% overall and 7-of-29 from outside the arc in falling to third-ranked Iowa State, 74-55, Saturday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum.

Playing shorthanded with Langston Love and Cal transfer Jalen Celestine both out with ankle injuries, the Bears (9-4, 1-1) went only seven-deep in a limited rotation that included freshman Jason Asemota grabbing three rebounds and blocking one shot in nine minutes.

"I wish we would have been at full strength," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team fell to 2-4 versus ranked teams this season, "because I would have liked to have seen what we needed to grow from there. But I'm proud of our guys to shoot that way and not lose by 40, to be real."

Winning its ninth in a row, Iowa State (12-1, 2-0) had three double-figure scorers, led by Keshon Gilbert with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Milan Momcilovic hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points, with Curtis Jones scoring 14 points and getting four of the Cyclones' six steals.

"Even if he's not making shots, he stretches your defense," Drew said of the 6-8 Momcilovic, "because everyone knows he's capable. But he's shooting 44% on the year. He's a really good player, can score inside and out. I think that's what makes them better than last year because I think they have more weapons."

Getting off to a slow start, the Bears faced a double-digit deficit barely five minutes into the game and trailed by as many as 12 in the first half. But guards Jeremy Roach and Robert Wright III both hit buckets in the last minute to pull back within eight, 33-25.

"They do a good job of ball-pressuring and denying the wings," said Roach, who matched a game high with 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, "but I feel like we did a good job. We just missed some shots. . . . Obviously, they're ranked No. 3 for a reason. They're doing something good."

Miami transfer Norchad Omier had nine points and seven rebounds in the first half and finished with double-digit boards (10), but he was scoreless in the second half and went just 1-of-7 overall from 3-point range.

"When you're not making shots, you've got to get stops, and we didn't get stops," Drew said. "They shot 49% and 48 (from 3), so credit them. And when you miss a couple, it's not like you're going to get a ton of great looks against Iowa State. So, you've got to make those when you can."

The Cyclones scored 11 straight points over a 3 ½-minute stretch, pushing the lead to 61-38 on a Curtis Jones 3-pointer with 6:56 left in the game.

Josh Ojianwuna recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 5-of-6 from the floor, while guards Roach and Wright chipped in with 16 and 10 points, respectively.

Freshman VJ Edgecombe was just 1-of-9 from the floor, but finished with four points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Baylor will return home to face 16^th-ranked Cincinnati (10-3, 0-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday before going back on the road for back-to-back games at Arizona State and Arizona. The Bearkats have opened league play with two losses by a combined eight points, falling to Arizona, 72-67, on Saturday after opening league play with a 70-67 loss at Kansas State.