Iowa State hands Baylor fourth loss in Big 12 play
The Big 12 is tough, just ask Baylor. After holding a lead in the second half, the Bears are now 1-4 to open Big 12 competition following a 75-65 loss to Iowa State this afternoon.
At this point, complaints that Baylor’s three-point game is a liability is like saying water feels wet.
Rebound advantage and nothing more
Baylor not only held a 46-40 rebound advantage but held a 10 percent advantage of both offensive and defensive rebounds. Hypothetically the 19 offensive rebounds should — and typically have — give an edge. But with a 34 percent shooting rate, those boards only chewed time off the clock, particularly during the failed comeback in the closing minutes.
Down seven with 1:36 left, Baylor was 0-of-4 shooting. The only points came on three Manu Lecomte free throws. Even worse, Baylor didn’t hit a shot in the final three minutes of the game after Tristan Clark brought the game within four points.
The shooting droughts were a tremendous burden, with multiple droughts over two minutes. Jo Lual-Acuil can’t take too much of the blame as one of only two Bears to shot at least 50 percent for the afternoon but one more board turned into a putback could have made the difference.
But ISU’s Lindell Wigginton’s 30 points probably disagrees with that as his shot seemed to get stronger the more the game was on the line. And watching Trae Young drop 43 points for Oklahoma today brings into question how well Baylor can stop playmakers down the road.
King McClure was as close as Baylor had to someone to battle Wigginton’s shots. He shot 3-of-5 from range. The rest of the team was 1-of-13. Manu Lecomte’s 17-game streak with a three-pointer was snapped after missing all seven attempts.
Tristan Clark back at work
After impressive performances to open the season, the freshman has been silent since Big 12 began. If Baylor rolled out of Ames with a win, it was on Clark’s back.
Clark left the game with a team-high 16 points and 15 rebounds, often coming in for the save. The rest of the team shot 29 percent from the floor compared to his 54 percent rate. He even pulled Baylor out of a seven-point hole with a three-pointer to open the second half. It was a tone-setter that put the third quarter of the game in motion before the game went off the rails.
Though, his three misses from the free throw line were a liability. Jo Lual-Acuil had the team’s other miss.
On another note, freshman Mark Vital made his second consecutive start of the season and led the team with five assists. He was on the giving end of half of Baylor’s three-pointers.
Virtually no Jake Lindsey
As one of the team’s foremost leaders and do-it-all defender, the lack of Lindsey on the court was abnormal. He played just 15 minutes. That’s his fewest minute count since facing Creighton in November.
Without Manu Lecomte available after being elbowed halfway through the second half, Lindsey was part of the crew that brought the game back to a stalemate. Going scoreless and without an assist, he didn’t directly bring Baylor to its 56-53 lead with eight minutes left but helped contain Lindell Wigginton who eventually buried the game after Baylor’s short lead.
It was as silent of a performance as Lindsey’s had all season which contributed to his lack of action but the absence of him to get some assists was out of character.