Baylor pulls away from Iowa State, 81-67

WACO, Texas — Baylor repeatedly took the ball to the basket in the second half to pull away from Iowa State for an 81-67 victory Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.

Bears forward Terry Maston scored 23 points, 19 coming after halftime, and forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. added 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The big men helped Baylor (13-10, 3-7 Big 12) snap a four-game losing streak, its longest since losing five straight during the 2013-14 season.

Guard Donovan Jackson scored 15 for Iowa State (12-10, 3-7), leading four Cyclones in double figures.

However, Iowa State failed to keep up its momentum after defeating No. 15 West Virginia by 16 points earlier in the week. The Cyclones have yet to win a Big 12 road game this season.

Baylor pulled off three-point plays on back-to-back possessions early in the second half. Manu Lecomte (14 points) drove for a layup and then nailed a free throw. King McClure got into the lane for a basket and also completed the three-point possession that gave the Bears a 42-38 lead.

The latter play proved especially costly for Iowa State, as forward Cameron Lard (14 points) picked up his fourth foul with 15:58 left.

Baylor kept rolling on a 15-0 run that came to a dramatic conclusion when a Maston three-point play coincided with a technical on Iowa State Coach Steve Prohm. Lecomte nailed a pair of technical free throws and Maston’s made free shot put the Bears ahead 51-38 with 14:16 to play.

Down 21-13 in the first half, Iowa State responded immediately with an 8-0 run as Lindell Wigginton (14 points) nailed a 3-pointer, then dished to Lard for a dunk. Forward Zoran Talley Jr. (12 points) nailed a shot from beyond the arc on the left side to tie it at 21.

Wigginton fueled the Cyclones with 14 points and four assists in the first 20 minutes. He made a pair of free throws at the 1:10 mark for his final points of the half, helping Iowa State take a 32-30 lead at the break.