No. 4 Baylor’s post duo of Brown, Cox destroys Iowa State

Ames, Iowa — For the second time this season, the Iowa State Cyclones couldn't figure out the No. 4 Baylor Lady Bears and their explosive duo of Kalani Brown and Lauren Cox.

Brown and Cox nearly outscored the entire Iowa State team, combining for 46 points in a 79-50 rout of the Cyclones on Wednesday night.

The 13-game winning streak continues for the fourth-ranked Lady Bears (15-1, 6-0 Big 12) as they shot 53% from the court against the Cyclones (8-10, 2-5 Big 12).

Iowa State is ranked first in the Big 12 in three-pointers, but the first quarter of the game was not the Cyclones' best effort. Nothing was falling their way, as they ended the first quarter down 19-2. Iowa State shot a ghastly 6% from the floor in that quarter.

Iowa State came into the second quarter with a little more pep in their step. While the deficit was still there, the Cyclones shot the ball much better as they put up 17 points in the period, but the Lady Bears scored 21 of their own to hold a 40-19 lead at intermission.

Iowa State only shot 18% the first two periods as compared to Baylor who his a blistering 60%.

Iowa State took charge in the third, making a spirited attempt at a comeback as Rae Johnson hit a corner three to boost the offense in the frame. Madison Wise followed in her teammates steps by adding a bucket after to the Cyclones score.

Even though Iowa State outscored the Lady Bears 17-14 in the quarter, it still wasn't enough to make a serious dent in their deficit, as they walked into the fourth quarter down 54-36.

Kalani Brown started off the fourth quarter hot for Baylor, hitting a hook layup down the middle. The rest of the quarter was a non-story, as the Lady Bears outscored Iowa State 25-14 the rest of the way, taking home the 79-50 victory.

Bridget Carleton led Iowa State with 24 points. She started the game off cold, but once she received energy from the crowd, she broke out of her slump to hit three 3-pointers in the second half.

Baylor's Lauren Cox praised Carleton's ability to capture the essence of the crowd and metabolize it on the court.

"She's a great player," Cox said of Carleton.

The Lady Bears just truly played their game as a the No. 4 ranked team, as Iowa State just could not get their three-point advantage to spread. Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly talked about how the first quarter basically set the tone for the remainder of the game.

"I don't care who you play against, that's going to put you in a hole," Fennelly said after the game. "And when you're playing a great team like Baylor, that's going to put you in a huge hole."

Brown and Cox were unstoppable for Baylor as Iowa State had no answer for them. Brown dropped a team-high 25 points, one block, nine rebounds, and four assists while her post partner Cox also had a monster game with 21 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and nine blocks.

Iowa State will continue conference play against #17 West Virginia this Sunday and Baylor will take on Kansas State on Saturday.