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No. 2 Baylor upset by Iowa State in final second, snapping 58-game Big 12 win streak on season's final day

Cassandra Negley
WNBA and women's college basketball reporter
·3 min read
Baylor guard Moon Ursin, left, fights for the ball with Iowa State guard Jade Thurmon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Baylor guard Moon Ursin, left, fights for the ball with Iowa State guard Jade Thurmon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The Baylor Bears have held the No. 2 ranking in the women’s AP Top 25 Poll for the majority of the 2019-20 season. Their sole loss was to current No. 1 South Carolina at the Paradise Jam and they were one of three teams that had distanced themselves from everyone else in the NCAA.

Until the final hours of their regular season. Iowa State pulled off the upset of one of the NCAA title favorites with a 57-56 victory at home on the final day of the regular season. It broke the 58-game regular-season Big 12 win streak Baylor built that dated back to Feb. 6, 2017.

The Big 12 tournament begins Thursday and Baylor (28-2, 17-1) will remain the top seed. Iowa State (18-11, 10-8) is fourth after the game.

Ashley Joens makes free throws to end game

Iowa State and Baylor were tied with less than one second on the clock and an inbound play for the Cyclones. Ashley Joens caught it in the air and went for the tip-in play, but was fouled on the shot.

She made the first for the game-winner.

Joens scored a team-high 15 points, including a layup in the final minute that pushed Iowa State’s lead to 56-53, tying its largest lead of the fourth quarter. Baylor’s Juicy Landrum answered with a 3-pointer to set up the final play. Joens added eight rebounds and two steals.

Iowa State slows game down to beat Baylor

The Cyclones made 10-of-24 3-pointers, a key to beating Baylor as well as their ability to slow down the game. The Cyclones shot only 34.5% to Baylor’s 41.1%.

They lost the first meeting, 83-62, in January. In the finale, they took a 19-14 lead through one quarter and survived an absent second as Baylor outscored them, 14-3, for a 28-22 lead at halftime.

Ines Nezerwa scored 11 points and eight rebounds for Iowa State. Rae Johnson had 11 points off the bench.

Didi Richards led Baylor with 15 points. She had six rebounds and five assists. Lauren Cox added a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds with three assists. Queen Egbo had 10 points off the bench.

The Bears are still solidly a No. 1 seeded team in the NCAA tournament for now and look to repeat as champions.

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