No. 22 Baylor Upsets Undefeated No. 10 Iowa State on Go-Ahead Jumper With 2.9 Seconds Left

AMES, Iowa – No. 22 Baylor women’s basketball (13-3) upset No. 10 Iowa State (14-1) by a score of 72-70, with a Taliah Scott mid-range jumper pushing the Bears above the Cyclones with just 2.9 seconds remaining.

Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs’ motor powered Baylor on both ends. She scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, pulled down 20 rebounds, dished two assists, blocked two shots and added two steals. Seven of Littlepage-Buggs' rebounds came on the offensive end. Her effort on the glass led to a 6.1% advantage in offensive rebound percentage for the Bears.

After failing to score in the first half, missing all eight of her field goal attempts, redshirt-sophomore guard and the Bears’ leading scorer, Scott, scored 21 second-half points, including 13 points and the game-winner in the final quarter. Scott ended the game 6-of-24 from the field, but converted on all eight of her free-throw attempts.

Jana Van Gytenbeek built off her huge performance in her last game against Oklahoma State, scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. She added seven assists while only turning the ball over once in the victory.

Baylor’s ability to shut down all but two players was the main reason the Bears are leaving Ames with a win. After Audi Crooks scored 14 first-half points on just six attempts, Baylor chose to double the National Player of the Year Candidate and leave Iowa State’s Jada Williams and Reese Beaty open. Crooks scored 22 of the Cyclones' 39 first-half points, with nobody else breaking the 10-point mark, but the star center scored just four points in the second half, converting on just two of her nine field goal attempts. Williams was able to capitalize, scoring 20 second-half points on 8-of-16 shooting, but outside of Crooks and Williams, no Iowa State players were able to make multiple second-half field goals.

An additional reason the Bears won was due to their ability to attempt more free throws. The Baylor defense has done a great job all year of contesting opponents in legal guarding positions, and that led to just 10 Iowa State free throws. Baylor was able to draw 18 and convert on 17, for comparison.

After both teams traded empty possessions, the Division I leading scorer, Iowa State center Crooks, knocked down a mid-range jumper. Scott responded with a mid-range of her own, but it was nullified by an illegal screen. Crooks added another mid-range jumper that kissed off the front of the rim like her first basket, before Littlepage-Buggs knocked down a jumper in the paint to get the Bears on the board.

Crooks’ dominance was very present early; the national player of the year candidate added two drop-step layups, one through a foul. She scored nine of the Cyclones’ 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting before the media timeout. 

However, the Baylor offense responded to every basket. While Scott missed a few open shots and started the game 0-for-4 from the field, Littlepage-Buggs had one of her strongest stretches of basketball. She added another mid-range jumper and finished a fastbreak layup following a steal from Bella Fontleroy. Van Gytenbeek came out with the same mindset she had in Stillwater, looking for her own shot. She snaked an early ball screen for a mid-range jumper. Kiersten Johnson added a wing triple before the media timeout as well, as the Bears entered the first-quarter break down just one point, 12-11.

After Iowa State’s point guard Williams added her second basket on a mid-range fadeaway, Littlepage-Buggs continued her big quarter. She knocked down a contested mid-range and finished a layup. After another Crooks finish, Littlepage-Buggs finished another layup after a Van Gytenbeek steal. She scored 10 consecutive points for the Bears. 

The hosting Cyclones went on a 5-0 run to end the first quarter up 21-17. Crooks ended the first quarter with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, facing little resistance from all three of Baylor’s bigs. Littlepage-Buggs responded with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and three rebounds. Van Gytenbeek added five assists, but her backcourt mate, Scott, failed to score on seven field goal attempts. 

While the Bears shot just 8-of-22 from the field and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, they won the turnover battle 5-1 and pulled down four offensive rebounds to stay competitive. Outside of Crooks and Littlepage-Buggs, Iowa State was 2-of-10 from the field, and Baylor was 2-of-15, respectively.

While Scott added another miss and picked up a second foul, sending her to the bench, the Bears found more success against Crooks early in the second quarter, forcing her first miss and a turnover. Baylor also found offense with Scott on the bench, with Yuting Deng scoring eight points before the media timeout, converting on a pair of threes and getting to the line for two more. 

Van Gytenbeek has blossomed into a new player over these two recent road games. She blew by her defender for a layup and knocked down a right-wing 3-pointer on the following possession. Johnson’s impressive 3-point shooting continued as well, hitting her second 3-pointer of the game on as many attempts to put the Bears up 35-32 entering the media timeout.

Baylor was able to take the lead due to head coach Nicki Collen’s defensive adjustment. Despite Iowa State point guard Williams starting the game 2-of-2 from 3-point range, Collen chose to sag on the guard in favor of limiting Crooks’ touches. Williams, a 26.7% 3-point shooter on the season entering the game, missed her following six attempts from downtown.

The Cyclones went on a 7-0 run following the mid-quarter break, using two more Crooks’ baskets and a 3-pointer from Arianna Jackson, her second of the quarter, to take a 39-35 lead.

However, the Bears responded with a 6-0 run of their own entering the half. Baylor scored 24 second-quarter points despite zero points from both Scott and Littlepage-Buggs in the quarter. However, Littlepage-Buggs added three rebounds, two on the offensive end, and two assists, making her presence felt despite not attempting a field goal. She ended the half with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Deng led the way for the Bears in the second quarter after not playing in the first quarter, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Van Gytenbeek added seven points, and Johnson contributed three points and four rebounds in a quarter that the visiting Bears won 24-18. Van Gytenbeek scored nine points and dished out six assists in the half, continuing her strong new year. 

The Bears did an unexpectedly strong job of limiting turnovers in the first quarter. While Iowa State does not play two-on-the-ball ball screen defense with Crooks lacking the mobility to hedge or blitz, and does not run a defensive scheme based on forcing turnovers, many Baylor turnovers this season have been due to sloppy decision-making and passes. The Bears did not have a single live-ball turnover in the half, and only totaled four as a team. On the other end, the Bears forced nine Cyclone turnovers.

Crooks, unsurprisingly, led the game with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. However, the Bears held the rest of the Cyclones to just 5-of-21 shooting, putting them in front at halftime 41-39.

Van Gytenbeek’s determination to get downhill remained present, getting to the rim and finishing a left-handed layup to open the second-half scoring. Scott got on the board on a mid-range jumper on the next Bears’ possession to extend the lead to six, with a score of 45-39.

The Iowa State offense flipped early in the second half. Crooks started the third quarter 0-for-4 from the field, but Williams splashed a triple. Scott responded by getting downhill, drawing a foul and adding two more points. After a Williams’ missed triple, Baylor used two offensive rebounds after a Fontleroy drive off of Zoom action to get two more free throws, with Fontleroy adding two points.

Baylor’s offense stalled over the following 2:42 before the media timeout, missing six consecutive field goals, allowing a 6-0 Iowa State run to cut the Bears' lead to one. Baylor turned the ball over four times before the break, with two Fontleroy turnovers, one a live-ball turnover that led to an easy layup, occurring on the last two Baylor possessions. 

With Crooks only scoring on one of her opening six third-quarter shot attempts, the Bears had the chance to open the game, but failed due to their offense hitting a wall.

Deng continued to show off her ability to rise over defenders, knocking down a contested pull-up jumper in the mid-range following the quarter break to give her 12 points. A Williams 3-pointer knotted the game at 51, before a tough Scott eurostep layup put the Bears back up. The Iowa State star Crooks responded to the Baylor star Scott’s layup with a seal and easy finish of her own.

Scott’s rough day shooting the ball continued, missing an open 3-pointer and a mid-range on back-to-back possessions. However, Littlepage-Buggs was able to pull down the latter miss, drew a foul and hit a free throw to put Baylor back in front. Scott found a way to get into the scoring column on the next possession, drawing a foul and converting both free throws. A corner triple from Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare tied the game at 56 before a missed open layup from Kyla Abraham after a great find from Van Gytenbeek sent the game into the fourth quarter.

Scott scored eight of the 15 third-quarter points for the Bears, but Baylor was limited to just 4-of-15 shooting. Baylor shot 7-of-8 from the line; however, doing enough to keep pace with the Cyclones. Iowa State was 7-of-22 from the field, led by eight Williams points on 3-of-6 shooting. Iowa State failed to get to the charity stripe in the quarter.

After both teams failed to take the lead in the first 1:26 of the fourth quarter, Scott rose for a mid-range jumper. Williams responded with a mid-range jumper for her own, before Scott launched a wing triple that found the bottom of the net, her first 3-pointer of the day.

Addy Brown, Iowa State’s second-best player and an All-Big 12 candidate, was held scoreless entering the fourth quarter. A baseline-out-of-bounds play changed that, with Brown finishing an easy layup through a late Fontleroy foul. However, Brown missed the free throw, keeping Baylor in front. She failed to score another point in the game. Scott, her shot now falling, got to her spot in the mid-range and pushed the Baylor lead to three. After a Williams’ response, Scott looked to score again, drawing a foul and putting the Bears back up three points, 65-62.

Williams, still being left wide open, missed another 3-pointer, giving the Bears a chance to take a two-possession lead. After a missed Scott jumper led to a Littlepage-Buggs offensive rebound, the Bears took the second-chance opportunity to reset the offense. However, Iowa State did a strong job blowing up Baylor’s Zoom action for Scott, and then a late-clock Horns set. With neither action providing an open shot, Van Gytenbeek tossed it to Johnson in the corner. The Baylor forward launched her third triple of the game, and it found the bottom of the basket, giving Baylor a 68-62 advantage with 4:37 left in the game. Johnson ended the game with nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

After another empty Iowa State possession, Scott attacked and got to the line for two more points, giving Baylor a three-possession lead, with a score of 70-62.

The gamble of leaving Williams open was a great decision throughout the game, but it backfired late in the fourth quarter. Williams stepped up for the hosts, knocking down a triple, then adding a mid-range on the next possession, cutting the lead to three and causing the packed Hilton Coliseum to erupt.

With multiple chances to push the game out of reach, the Baylor turnover bug reactivated. Countless illegal screens and a shot-clock violation kept the Bears at 70 points. The Baylor defense showed why they have the reputation of being a great defense to keep the Bears in the lead. Johnson blocked Crooks, and Littlepage-Buggs turned over Williams.

A Scott miss on a decent look at the rim led to a Cyclone transition opportunity and an open 3-pointer for Arianna Jackson, a 50.0% 3-point shooter. Jackson was unable to hit the longball, but Brown brought down the offensive rebound and found Williams for a 3-point attempt. Williams’ 3-pointer was true, as the point guard scored 10 consecutive Iowa State points to knot the game at 70 with 27 seconds remaining on her way to a career-high 28 points.

Baylor, with the shot clock off, put the game into the hands of its star, Scott. With eight seconds remaining, Johnson gave the guard a screen, who found space in the mid-range. Scott, searching for a win, lifted for the jumper and found the go-ahead two points with under three seconds remaining.

Iowa State immediately called a timeout and drew up a play for their star Crooks. The Cyclones used a gut screen to inbound the ball to Brown at the top of the key, and to set up a High Low opportunity for Crooks. However, Littlepage-Buggs got a hand on the pass, slowing the pass down for Scott to intercept, giving Baylor a 72-70 top-10 road win.

Williams and Brown were the only Cyclones able to score in the final quarter, with Williams scoring 12 and Brown adding two. Crooks was held scoreless for the last 12:38 of the game, an amazing achievement for the Bears’ defense. Scott scored 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, and Johnson added the other three points for the Bears in the quarter. Littlepage-Buggs pulled down six rebounds. Baylor shot 5-of-12 from the field and amassed five stocks, helping hold Iowa State to 6-of-17 shooting and three turnovers as the Bears edged out the win.

The fight the Bears displayed, as well as the scoring distribution, did not just lead to an upset win; it inspires optimism for the rest of the season. Had someone told me the Bears would be within 10 points, let alone leading at halftime with Scott going scoreless and Crooks amassing 22 points on 11 shots, I would not have believed them in the slightest.

However, Baylor has found scoring across its roster in its last 50 minutes of basketball. Littlepage-Buggs’ motor resembled her passion seen throughout last season. She hustled on the glass and found ways to be impactful throughout her 35 minutes. Van Gytenbeek produced multiple self-created baskets and was aggressive in her key performance, not sitting on the bench for a minute.

Collen’s rotations were key as well, using a short leash this afternoon, pulling Marcayla Johnson and Kayla Nelms quickly after mistakes. The Bears proving they can beat a top-10 opponent, while their star scorer shoots just 25% from the field, gives Baylor fans hope for this team to reach its next level. Baylor would have toppled every team they have played this year, other than Texas, with the performance they had today.

The Bears’ (13-3) next game is against the Colorado Buffaloes at 7 p.m. CT, Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Foster Pavilion. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.