Iowa State Cyclones Excelled in Multiple Areas Despite Close Game Against Baylor

What areas did the Iowa State Cyclones perform well at in their win?

Feb 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the Baylor Bears during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Coming into their matchup on Saturday, the Iowa State Cyclones were hoping to extend their winning streak to five games. Even though it might not have been pretty, they were able to get the job done. 

Following a bit of a slip-up a few weeks ago, the Cyclones have now won their last five games and haven’t lost in a three-week span. Iowa State might not have played their best game on Saturday afternoon at home, but it was good enough to get the job done. 

With the schedule getting a lot more difficult in the coming weeks, every win in Big 12 play is important, and this was a Baylor Bears team that was playing well. One of the keys to the success of the program during this new winning streak has been quick starts and turning opponents over. 

That unfortunately wasn’t the case in this one, but the program was still able to overcome that and secure a win. With the game being tight at halftime, the message that was delivered was the right one for the second half, and the team executed it well. 

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger recently spoke to William Seals of On3 about a strong second half for Iowa State despite some mishaps in the last couple of minutes. 

“So, our guys should feel great as well about what they did, rather than try to focus on the last couple of minutes. It should be the second half should be the narrative and how well they played defensively and what they did on the glass.”

Cyclones Played Well Despite End-of-Game Struggles

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even though the final score was just a three-point difference, the Cyclones played really well in the second half against the Bears. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes and missed opportunities by the team late, but this was still a rather comfortable win despite the late push. 

In the second half, the team was able to get a double-digit lead thanks to some excellent defense and an aggressive mindset on the offensive glass. The first half wasn’t nearly as crisp as the team has been playing to start games of late, and that made this one a bit more difficult. 

However, the halftime message was clearly a good one, and the team performed well in the final 20 minutes. A major reason for that was the hustle from senior guard Tamin Lipsey. The talented guard made a lot of big plays for the Cyclones, and his energy was contagious. Overall, Iowa State would have liked to start and finish the game a bit better than they did, but they still came away with a win, and that’s what matters.