Baylor hangs on for 70-68 win against Iowa State amid wild final seconds

It was a crazy finish Saturday night between Baylor and Iowa State, with a clock error giving the Cyclones a late chance at victory. The Bears ultimately held on to win 70-68, but fans were left biting their nails down to the final buzzer.

After Jayden Nunn drove the length of the court for a layup and the foul to give the Bears a two-point lead, it appeared the game was sealed. The Cyclones had no timeouts and only two seconds remained, so a desperation heave seemed like their only hope.

However, after Nunn missed the free throw and the clock started early, the game stopped for an official review. Refs added 1.2 seconds to the clock and allowed the Cyclones to inbound the ball near midcourt. They got the ball in and made an extra pass to Milan Momcilovic, who let a 3-pointer fly that banked in off the glass.

Iowa State players mobbed the forward in celebration, but replay review revealed that the ball did not leave Momcilovic’s hand before the clock hit zero. Thus, Baylor managed to escape with the victory.

Iowa State lands a wild buzzer-beating three against Baylor in Waco. But it’s a shade too late and the Bears win it 70-68.

Insane finish to an insane game. pic.twitter.com/nrl4VsooU7

— Made For March (@madeformarch) February 4, 2024

Baylor had a 10-point lead with 11:20 remaining before a major swing in momentum occurred. Bears coach Scott drew was called for his second technical foul after arguing a foul called on Caleb Lohner and ejected from the contest.

That led to a 20-0 run for Iowa State as the Cyclones jumped ahead 61-54 with 7:56 to go. However, associate head coach John Jakus stepped in as acting head coach and managed to get the team to calm down from that point.

Baylor retook the lead on a pair of free throws from Nunn with 2:55 remaining. A 3-pointer from RayJ Dennis a few plays after that extended the lead to two possessions but Iowa State was able to come back and tie it with 10 seconds to go on a jumper from Tamin Lipsey.

Dennis led the Bears with 18 points and seven rebounds in the win, while Dunn contributed 16 points. Baylor shot an efficient 12-of-23 (52.2%) from 3-point range and won the rebounding battle 36-31.

With the win, Baylor improved to 16-5 (5-3 Big 12) and is currently tied for second place in the conference standings. The Bears will hope to carry the momentum from this win into their next matchup against No. 15 Texas Tech at 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday in Waco.