Iowa State knocks off No. 12 Baylor, 77-62 in Big 12 opener

Updated Dec. 31, 2022 4:32 p.m. ET

Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Gabe Kalscheur and Caleb Grill combined for 41 points as Iowa State toppled No. 12 Baylor 77-62 in a Big 12 opener Saturday.

Kalscheur finished with 23 points, including a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones (10-2, 1-0) a commanding 69-54 lead with 5:22 left to play.

Grill added 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds while making four assists.

Adam Flagler led Baylor (10-3, 0-1) with 20 points, with 18 coming in the first half.

Baylor was befuddled by Iowa State's zone, while the Cyclones found their shooting touch, at one point hitting 8 of 15 attempts from 3-point range.

Iowa State opened the second half with a 9-1 run and took a 43-32 lead on a Kalscheur 3-pointer.

A fallaway shot by Flagler gave Baylor an early 25-16 lead. The Bears hit nine of their first 16 shots but ended the half on a 2 for 11 skid, missing their last seven attempts from 3-point range.

Iowa State went on a 10-0 run to take a 30-29 lead on a Robert Jones putback. The Cyclones were up 34-31 at the break and had forced 11 Baylor turnovers.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor will likely make its 65th consecutive appearance in the Top 25, the second-longest streak nationally behind Gonzaga's 122. Iowa State should return to the Top 25 after dropping out earlier this month.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Hosts No. 18 TCU on Wednesday and Kansas State on Saturday

Iowa State: Visits Oklahoma on Wednesday and TCU on Saturday

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