No. 2 Baylor powers past Iowa State, 83-52

AMES - The Iowa State women's basketball team did just about everything it needed to for a half to stick with No. 2 Baylor.

When production dipped toward the end of the first half, the Lady Bears were relentless in seizing the opportunity to take control.

'The thing about Baylor is, unlike maybe any team we've played, when they see blood they're coming after you,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. 'And they came after us hard. We just could not respond.”

A decisive end to the first half and a dominant third quarter helped Baylor beat Iowa State 83-52, even after the Lady Bears (22-1, 11-0) trailed midway through the second quarter.

The Cyclones (12-10) shot 48 percent in the first half and were making a point to making runs to the rim. Iowa State and Baylor were an even 18-18 in points in the paint and had an 18-15 rebound differential, but things started to sputter at the end of the first half.

Iowa State was scoreless for 2:22 to end the half while Baylor ramped up its defensive pressure. The Lady Bears turned a three-point lead into a seven-point lead heading into the break.

'I think they just came out with a lot more pressure and a lot more aggressiveness,” said point guard Jadda Buckley, who had 13 points. 'They were looking to push the ball a lot more and get up in our grill.”

Things didn't get much easier for Iowa State in the third quarter as Baylor ran out to a 21-6 advantage through 10 minutes. The Cyclones went 5:51 - spanning the second and third quarters - without a point while watching its deficit grow from seven to 18 in less than five minutes.

'We had every shot we wanted on the perimeter and you've just got to nail those shots,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. 'I thought defensively just switching on all those screens and not allowing them to continue to dribble penetrate.”

Iowa State was 7-for-29 shooting in the second half and was outscored 19-2 on second-chance points due to Baylor's 19 offensive rebounds. Alexis Prince led the Lady Bears with 22 points and seven boards.

'They're really tough,” said Seanna Johnson, who had seven points and four rebounds. 'Each of them are really long and really tall.

'I think that in itself hurts, but I think they're really aggressive on the ball and denying. We should have done a better job spacing the floor and back cutting to get each other open.”

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