AMES – Defense was the name of the game in No. 3 Iowa State’s 74-55 win over No. 25 Baylor at Hilton Coliseum Saturday. Now two games into Big 12 play, the Cyclones sit 2-0 in the conference and 12-1 overall.
It was a day of honoring and remembering the Big 12 Championship teams from 1999-00 and 2000-01. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger wanted to emulate their style of play with his current squad.
“In order for us to do the best job honoring those guys, we really wanted to be focused defensively,” Otzelberger said. “At many stretches of the game, we did that. There was a couple lapses, but [I] was proud of those guys for appropriately honoring those teams.”
Though Iowa State shot well from 3-point range at 48% (10-of-21), it wasn’t the main part of the win. The suffocating Cyclone defense allowed Baylor to shoot just 29.7% (19-for-64) from the field.
That percentage set a season-low for Baylor.
“We can win in so many different ways,” senior guard Keshon Gilbert said. “Our defense comes first, and that’s what happened [Saturday].”
From half to half, the Bears didn’t see any improvement. Baylor had more shots than the Cyclones thanks to its ability to grab offensive rebounds. The Bears had 13 boards on the offensive glass, which is something Iowa State doesn’t want to see.
“At the start, they were terrific,” Otzelberger said. “Finishing plays on the glass, that’s an area we continue to work on.”
Even with the extra scoring chances, Baylor still couldn’t get the ball in the hoop. The post defense of forwards Joshua Jefferson and Brandton Chatfield, combined with senior center Dishon Jackson was more than enough for the Cyclones to keep the Bears down.
The defensive glass was where they shined. 14 of Iowa State’s 34 total defensive rebounds came from the frontcourt trio.
Jackson led rebounding, along with Gilbert, with 10. Gilbert was also the leading scorer for the Cyclones with 16 on 5-of-10 shooting. This was Gilbert’s first double-double of the season.
Closely behind Gilbert in scoring was sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic, who was the hot hand from deep. All of his shots were from 3-point range, where he went 4-for-7 and finished with 15 points after he added on three free throws.
“We want [Momcilovic] to be so aggressive,” Otzelberger said. “Regardless of when it comes, we’ve got tremendous confidence in his ability to knock it down.”
Guards Curtis Jones and Tamin Lipsey knocked down two big 3’s of their own against Baylor, each at times that lifted Iowa State either into or through a little scoring run.
“[Jones] usually doesn’t have that same issue. He’s hunting, and we need him to keep hunting,” Otzelberger said. “It was great to see [Lipsey] knock a few down. I’m on him non-stop about ‘Get your feet set.’”
Like Momcilovic, Baylor’s Jeremy Roach also went 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Of the Bears’ offense, Roach was the one who sparked things and gave Iowa State fits. His 16 points led Baylor in scoring.
To beat a top-25 team at home is impressive. To do it the way Iowa State did against Baylor is even more so.
“We’ve got everything you need,” Momcilovic said. “We’re a really dangerous team.”
