Tamin Lipsey "lays it on the line" again in No. 7 Iowa State's win over Baylor

AMES — Tamin Lipsey’s touched every inch of the Hilton Coliseum floor.

And not just with his feet, but with his outstretched hands, bruised hips, bloodied knees and just about every body part imaginable.

“I’ve probably got a record of some sort,” said Iowa State’s record-setting senior playmaker, whose sprawling exploits on Saturday fueled the No. 7 Cyclones’ hard-nosed 72-69 home win over Baylor. “It’s just putting my all out (there) to win the game.”

It’s nothing new for the Ames native, who grabbed a game-high nine rebounds — his most in a game since recording a triple-double in a 99-80 win at DePaul on Dec. 1, 2023. ISU (21-2, 8-2 Big 12) needed every single one of Lipsey’s toughness-tinged hustle plays, too, as the Bears (13-10, 3-8) nearly erased a 15-point deficit by going on a 14-2 run in the final 3:04.

“You’d love to finish the game better than what we did, but ultimately, we came in here with a very specific plan, and that was, in that second half, (pick up) our defensive intensity, (and) win the rebounding battle — and we did those things,” said Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team completed its first regular-season sweep of Baylor since the 2022-23 season. “So our guys should feel great about what they did (overall).”

ISU notched its fifth straight win and added to its best start in program history.

Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 21 points despite going just 2-for-6 from 3-point range, Joshua Jefferson added 15 points and Lipsey chipped in 14 to go with his nine boards. ISU shot just 6-for-21 from beyond the arc, but outscored the tall and athletic Bears 38-to-24 in the paint while building a 37-to-25 rebounding edge.

“I’ve said it’s the most (teams) we’ve ever had in the Big 12 that can be in the Final Four, and they’re definitely one of them,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said of the Cyclones.

That’s because even when the Cyclones struggle offensively, they find ways to become even more suffocating on the defensive end of the floor. ISU did just that by holding the Bears scoreless during a five-minute stretch midway through the second half. That allowed the Cyclones to turn a one-point lead into an eight-point cushion on Momcilovic’s last 3-pointer, creating enough of an advantage to render Baylor’s last-gasp charge moot.

“Their defensive intensity and pressure wear you down,” Drew said. “And when you get worn down mentally, our shots were different than they were in the first half. I imagine it’s kind of like a great ground game in football. They just wear you out and it’s body blow after body blow. That’s what they do.”

Especially Lipsey, who drove for back-to-back layups to cap a 13-2 ISU run that resulted in a 63-51 lead with 7:04 left. Four of his game-best nine rebounds came on the offensive end as a dove to the floor repeatedly, banging his body against the hardwood again and again t either end Baylor possessions or extend them for his hometown team.

“He’s one of the greatest Cyclones of all time,” Momcilovic said of Lipsey, who already owns ISU’s all-time steals record. “It’s been a pleasure to play with them. He’s found me on so many shots and he’s gotten me so many shots, so it’s all a credit to him and all the little things he does.”

One scraped knee, bruised elbow, and strained muscle group at a time.

“Tamin just lays it all on the line,” Otzelberger said. “There was like two of him out there on some possessions. … There’s a physicality to how he does everything, and laying it on the line, he’s done that for four years.”

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