The Cyclones jumped up to a 10-point lead in the opening minutes of the game Saturday, and all seemed to be in control at Hilton Coliseum. Shots were falling, and Iowa State looked poised to win its second straight conference game.

Yet walking out of the arena late Saturday afternoon, Baylor had pulled off the upset, handing ISU coach Steve Prohm his first loss on the floor of Hilton Coliseum — a feat not easily accomplished.

No. 13 Iowa State (12-3 overall, 1-2 Big 12) fell at home, 94-89, to Baylor (12-3 overall, 2-1 Big 12) on Saturday, marking its first loss at Hilton Coliseum this season and second conference loss in three games.

“We have to take care of home, and we didn’t do it,” Prohm said. “The tough thing is we were really in control of the game, really for most of the stretches in the game.”

Things started out fine for the Cyclones, who remained in control early. They opened on a 14-4 run, but went into halftime with just a 38-34 lead.

Iowa State responded out of the break, though, jumping back up to a 12-point lead not even four minutes into the second half.

That would be it, though.

Baylor slowed down the game and brought the game within just a few points.

With less than four minutes left in the game, the Bears went on an 8-0 run to finally separate from the Cyclones. While Iowa State didn’t go away quietly in the final minutes, Baylor held on long enough to seal the five-point win.

“We sort of got punched in the mouth, and we need to do better at responding,” said senior Georges Niang. “Coach has been preaching at us about building on our foundation. This is a learning experience as much as it is a season. We’ve got to learn, come together and get stops and rebounds and punch them back.”

While it seemed like Iowa State was in control of the game, even taking multiple leads of 10 or more points, it never extended the lead past 12 points. Matt Thomas, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds, said the team needs to extend leads instead of just sitting back comfortably.

And that comes directly from the defense — something he said was inconsistent Saturday.

“I think just consistency, really,” Thomas said. “At spurts in the game, we played defense. At times, I think we were really lazy on defense. We gave up easy buckets, easy 3s. That’s something we’re going to need to fix if we’re going to be a great team.”

Regardless, the season continues for Iowa State, which travels to both Texas and Kansas State next week. And while the Baylor loss may sting, Thomas knows they need to move on.

“It sucks. This one hurts for sure,” Thomas said. “Anytime you lose at home, especially at a place like this where we hardly ever lose, it hurts. But I’ve said it before. This is a really, really competitive league. We just need to bounce back. We need to get two road wins in a row, and I think we can do that.”