AMES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa State star Deonte Burton often takes shots that his coaches wish he wouldn’t.
With a potential win over a top 10 opponent slipping away, Burton banked in the biggest basket of his career.
Burton scored 22 points, including a crucial 3 off the glass with just over a minute left, and Iowa State beat No. 9 Baylor 72-69 on Saturday for its fifth straight win.
“I don’t know if he called glass on that one. But it was definitely the biggest play of the game,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Monte Morris had 17 points with seven assists for the Cyclones (19-9, 11-5 Big 12), who have their longest winning streak in league play since a seven-game stretch in 2005.
It was a back-and-forth matchup for over 30 minutes, with nine lead changes and 13 ties. But consecutive 3s from Donovan Jackson and Morris gave Iowa State a 56-51 lead with 6:50 left.
Johnathan Motley made it 62-61 on a dunk with 1:48 to go. But with the shot clock about to expire, Burton knocked down that 3 from the top of the key to help end Baylor’s five-game winning streak against Iowa State.
“The bank was open,” Burton said. “It was just the heat of the moment. I got blessed.”
Baylor, which followed with a turnover forced by Iowa State pressure, eventually pulled within three with 4.3 seconds left before King McLure’s contested 3 at the buzzer failed to find the rim.
Motley had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (23-6, 10-6), which dominated the Cyclones in second-chance points 26-2 and on the boards 37-17. But Iowa State shot 58 percent from the field, was 8 of 15 on 3s and 12 of 15 from the line.
“This team is peaking,” Morris said. “We trust in each other … (and) winning five games in a row in this league isn’t easy if you don’t trust each other.”
BIG PICTURE
Baylor: The Bears missed a big chance to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume with a win in Ames. But a home win over West Virginia on Monday night would help Baylor redeem itself.
Iowa State: The Cyclones are getting hot at the right time. Given that Iowa State is also a guard-oriented team, it’s also fair to think that the Cyclones might be able to do some damage in March. The win also put Iowa State into a tie for second with the Mountaineers in the Big 12.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Losing in Ames is nothing to be ashamed of, considering that the Cyclones have beaten four of their last six top-10 opponents at home. But Iowa State might find itself in next week’s Top 25 after an extended absence.
NOT SO YOUNG ANYMORE
When Iowa State first played Baylor, freshman center Solomon Young played just 12 minutes in a 73-71 loss against the then top-ranked Bears. But Young’s emergence has been crucial for the undersized Cyclones. Young had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting with two blocks. But Young’s biggest contribution was in giving Iowa State a presence in the post defensively. “He stepped up,” Motley said of Young.
THE NUMBERS
Baylor’s Al Freeman had 17 points - and was 5 of 5 from 3-point range. But the Bears were just 3 of 5 from the line and they committed 11 turnovers while forcing just five from Iowa State. “For some reason, we’re able to keep people off the line,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. … Manu Lecomte was 0 for 3 and was held scoreless for Baylor. … Iowa State has beaten 24 ranked teams in the past four seasons, second nationally to Oklahoma.
HE SAID IT
“I couldn’t believe it,” Motley said of Burton’s last 3.
UP NEXT
Baylor hosts No. 12 West Virginia on Monday.
Iowa State hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday, the final game for Burton, Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long and Matt Thomas at Hilton Coliseum. “I’m glad they’re seniors,” Drew joked.
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