AMES — A sold out crowd provided an electric atmosphere as Iowa State was able to upset No. 12 Baylor 77-62 on Saturday.

The two teams were battling in the first half like professional boxers, trading punches for the duration of the game. Both teams going on runs. The Hilton crowd erupting with every Cyclone score, and going silent after Baylor pushed back.

When the second half came around, the Cyclones were the team to rise to the occasion. Iowa State outscored Baylor 43-21 in the second frame.

With Aljaž Kunc sidelined for weeks due a hand injury suffered in practice, Gabe Kalscheur entered the starting lineup for Iowa State. Kalscheur was one of four guards in the starting lineup, along with Tamin Lipsey, Jaren Holmes and Caleb Grill.

Despite the lack of height in the Cyclone lineup, the team held its own inside, outscoring Baylor 28-20 in the paint.

Iowa State placed a focus on keeping Baylor out of the paint, and the players had a lot of success with that gameplan.

“We were giving up the shots we wanted to in the first half, they were just making more than what we would like them to make,” Grill said.

Kalscheur once again played a major role keeping the offense afloat, scoring 23 points on 7-13 shooting, including 5-9 from beyond the arc.

Joining Kalscheur in the three point scoring was Grill, who would score 18 of his own, shooting 5-9 from distance.

This is the second time that Kalscheur has stepped into the starting lineup and led the charge for the Cyclones. Otzelberger said he is comfortable sliding Kalscheur into the lineup at any time, because he has shown time and time again that he can adapt to any role.

“As many great games as [Kalscheur has] played for us, that may have been his complete on all fronts,” Otzelberger said.

Lipsey was finding these two shooters time and time again, racking up eight points and eight assists in 28 minutes.

Starting as a true freshman at point guard can present many challenges, especially in the Big 12, but there have been no such troubles for Lipsey so far.

“Any freshman that plays in this league has got to be special,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “The best thing he does is take care of the basketball”

Defensively, not much was different than any other game. The Cyclones held Baylor to 5-22 from three, and forced 19 turnovers. Baylor was only able to tally seven assists on the day.

After 13 days without a game, the Cyclones brought a ton of energy in the long-awaited return. Otzelberger credited this with the preparation that the team put in over winter break.

“Our preparation going into this game was as strong as any we’ve had this season,” Otzelberger said. “They knew how important this was.”

The Cyclones will now hit the road as they take on Oklahoma on Wednesday.