The defending national champions from Baylor did just that on the court of Hilton Coliseum – playing solid defense to earn a 79-64 win over the ISU women’s basketball team.

Iowa State shot 32.3 percent from the field and made 11 fewer rebounds than the Lady Bears. The Cyclones went cold in the paint under the pressure of a strong Baylor presence.

“They are physical on the outside, and they have a physical presence in the post,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly. “We knew rebounding was going to be important against them, and when you shoot 32 percent from the field, you’re not going to win any games.”

Iowa State (12-5, 3-3 Big 12) kept Baylor to a low 40 percent from the field, but the Bears’ (14-3, 4-3) offensive rebounding awarded the team 14 second-chance points. Chameka Scott and All-American Sophia Young crashed the boards for 24 combined rebounds, including eight offensive.

“They’re an all-around team; they don’t have any weaknesses,” said ISU guard Heather Ezell. “Try to stop them inside and they’ll kick it out and shoot outside.”

Baylor freshman Jessica Morrow secured the team’s first seven points, and the Bears successfully forced Iowa State to take hurried shots. A 10-0 run amped the lead after consecutive threes by Scott and point guard Angela Tisdale until a basket by Nicky Wieben broke the drought.

Ezell helped close the deficit with two back-to-back threes of her own, and the Cyclones worked themselves to within five.

As quickly as they crept closer, however, Baylor found additional ways to send their lead soaring.

Baylor held on to a 39-28 lead at the half.

“When our offense isn’t playing, that’s where our defense needs to pick up,” said ISU guard Lyndsey Medders. “They hit too many open shots, got too many offensive rebounds.”

Despite help from the foul-prone Bears, things quickly began to disintegrate for Iowa State at the start of the second half. Baylor surged ahead to a 46-30 lead, which Ezell and Megan Ronhovde reduced with threes.

Baylor’s outside game, which was nearly 50 percent from behind the arc, kept the Cyclones in check throughout the game. But it was the physical work inside by Young and Abiola Wabara that sent Iowa State spiraling. The closest the Cyclones could muster was a 10-point margin before Baylor secured the game.

“We kept trying to come back, and we just needed to make one more play to get the game closer,” Fennelly said. “We never had a working margin, with missed free throws and them making plays. We didn’t have enough of the extra plays that we have to make to win.”

Medders kept the Cyclones afloat with 29 points, but committed six turnovers in the process.

“Lyndsey has the ball all the time, and some turnovers are the result of what other people aren’t doing to help you,” Fennelly said. “She did everything she could for us to win the game, and she’s the leader of this team.

“Unfortunately we didn’t give her enough help tonight.”

Ezell was her only teammate that also scored in double-digits with 13 points. Baylor kept their scoring balanced with four in double figures. Young and Tisdale led the pack at 17 apiece, and Scott netted 14 while Morrow ended with 12.

Brittany Wilkins mustered only 3-of-16 in the lane, but was a factor on the boards with 10 rebounds. Ronhovde had nine boards with eight points.

“You have to give Baylor a lot of credit,” Fennelly said. “This is a team that understands how to win and what it takes to win.

“They had too many weapons for us on a night like tonight.”