Iowa State is doing all it needs to do to try and get the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament in a few weeks. 

The Cyclones (19-9, 11-5 Big 12) beat No. 9 Baylor (23-6, 10-6 Big 12) 72-69 at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday to pull ever closer to that goal, moving into a two-way tie for second place in the Big 12 with West Virginia. 

Baylor’s size chewed through Iowa State’s defense in the first half. Half of the Bears’ 16 first-half rebounds were on the offensive glass, leading to 18 second-half points. 

But Iowa State’s shooting shined through and kept it in the game. The Cyclones shot 58 percent in the first 20 minutes, led by a 15-point performance from forward Deonte Burton. 

The Bears and Cyclones were knotted at 36 going into halftime. 

Baylor continued its dominance on the glass right out of the gate in the second half, out-rebounding the Cyclones 10-1 in the first five minutes.

Monte Morris had a big second half for the Cyclones. After just five points in the first 20 minutes, Morris had 12 points down the stretch. 

The Cyclones went on a 7-0 run late in the second half to grab a multi-possession lead. Baylor fought back to pull within one with just over a minute to play. 

Burton hit a banked 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a four-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish, even after Baylor made a late push.