Iowa State (19-9, 11-5 Big 12) continued its hot streak Saturday, beating No. 9 Baylor (23-6, 10-6 Big 12) 72-69 at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have won five straight games after a loss to Texas in early February and sit in a tie with West Virginia for second place in the Big 12.

Here is the story from the game.

Here are three additional takeaways:

Solomon Young continues strong play

Iowa State’s string of wins is directly correlated to freshman Solomon Young’s entrance into the starting lineup a few weeks ago.

And that’s why when the Cyclones picked up yet another win Saturday, it was no surprise that Young had a large impact on the outcome once again.

After picking up two fouls early in the first half — leading to just seven minutes on the court in the first 20 — Young played out the entirety of the second half to end with 27 minutes.

He finished the day with 11 points and three rebounds, but one play was bigger than the rest and may have helped turned the game in Iowa State’s favor.

While the Cyclones were up by just two midway through the second half, Young blocked Baylor big man Nuni Omot, which spurred a transition 3-pointer by guard Donovan Jackson. Hilton Coliseum erupted into a frenzy that rivaled the noise when Kansas came to town in mid-January.

“I think it was a great momentum changer for the team,” Young said. “A lot of tempo came after that play, and I think that’s when the game turned for us.”

And about the noise?

“It got pretty loud,” Young said after flashing a smile.

Scott Drew unhappy with officials

Baylor coach Scott Drew had more than a few tirades against the officials on the court during Saturday’s game. On one occasion, he had to call a timeout to prevent himself from getting a technical foul. 

It was clear he was upset about the disparity in fouls. Iowa State had nine fouls while Baylor had 17, and the Cyclones went to the line 15 times compared to just five times for the Bears.

When asked about that difference after the game, Drew got a bit snippy.

“I don’t know, but the officials are right down from our locker room, so if you want to ask them, I’d like to know the answer,” he said.

Perhaps the most controversial call came on the last shot of the game. With just over a second to play, Baylor trailed by three. A football pass down the court gave the Bears a 3-point chance to tie the game. Point guard Monté Morris contested the shot and got close to tapping Baylor’s King McClure on the arm.

McClure missed.

“I didn’t touch him,” Morris said. “I didn’t touch him at all. I just didn’t want him to get a clean look. I was just trying to contest it, but try be close to not fouling also.”

Drew said he wanted to watch film before making a judgment.

“I need to watch on film,” he said. “That’s the great thing — film doesn’t lie, and we all learn from film — coaches, officials, everybody. Nobody wants to, but there are mistakes in every game. Not saying there were any. I think we all want to get better, and that’s why we’re in this thing.”

Iowa State ends Baylor’s win streak

Entering Saturday, the Bears beat the Cyclones in five straight games — twice at Hilton Coliseum.

Earlier this season, Iowa State lost a tough battle in Waco, Texas, falling 65-63 with a chance to win in the final seconds.

But not even the highly-ranked Bears could stop the Cyclones’ recent hot streak. And it was obvious after the game that snapping the losing streak against Baylor was on the players’ minds.

“I wasn’t a part of the two last year, but I felt like I was,” guard Naz Mitrou-Long said. “Especially after losing a heartbreaker like we did earlier this year, and the type of run that we’re on right now, we wanted to add to that.”