Milan Momcilovic scores 21 and No. 7 Iowa State holds off Baylor, 72-69

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Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) passes around Baylor guard Isaac Williams (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) — Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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3:43 PM on Saturday, February 7

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points, Joshua Jefferson added 15 and No. 7 Iowa State held off a late rally by Baylor for a 72-69 victory on Saturday.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Cyclones (21-2, 8-2 Big 12). Iowa State, heading into a stretch where four of its next six games are against AP Top 25 teams, had won its last four games by an average of 26.8 points.

This game was looking like another double-digit win for the Cyclones — they led by 14 points with 2:12 to play — before the Bears (13-10, 3-8) scored the final 11 points, the last coming on a 3-pointer from Tounde Yessoufou with one second left.

Momcilovic had his 11th game of 20 or more points this season, going 6 of 11 from the field. Momcilovic, who leads the nation in 3-pointers and 3-point percentage, was just 2 of 6 from behind the arc.

Jefferson was 6 of 10 from the field and added five rebounds. Tamin Lipsey had 14 points and nine rebounds.

Cameron Carr led Baylor with 24 points while Yessoufou had 17 and Obi Agbim added 15.

Baylor, down 39-33 early in the second half, went on a 9-2 run but couldn’t keep up the momentum. The Bears were just 1 of 8 over a seven-minute stretch as the Cyclones began to pull away. Iowa State had a 20-7 run, including stretches of seven consecutive and six consecutive points, to take a 63-51 lead with 7:04 left.

Iowa State led 37-33 at halftime behind Momcilovic, who had 12 points in the half.

Up next

Baylor: Hosts No. 16 BYU on Tuesday.

Iowa State: Visits TCU on Tuesday.

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