WACO, Texas (AP) — Kenny Chery made a jumper with 4.7 seconds left and No. 22 Baylor pulled out a 74-73 win over No. 11 Iowa State after blowing a 14-point lead.
Rico Gathers had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Bears (13-3, 2-2 Big 12), who had led throughout until Georges Niang made a jumper with 1:54 left for a 68-67 lead.
Baylor had started the game with a 16-1 run, and was up 62-48 on a layup by Gathers with 8:40 left before the big closing surge by Iowa State (12-3, 2-1) that included the back-and-forth finish.
Lester Medford hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with just more than a minute left for Baylor, but ISU (12-3, 2-1) quickly got even on Niang’s high bank shot.
Johnathan Motley had a go-ahead putback on a miss by Chery before the Cyclones went back ahead on a 3-pointer by Bryce Dejean-Jones.
ISU called timeout after Chery’s last basket, but Niang missed a runner as time expired.
Niang scored 10 points, nine over the final 8½-minute stretch to erase Baylor’s 62-48 lead.
Naz Long had 19 points for the Cyclones, making all five of his 3-pointers.
Three of Long’s treys came in that late 20-5 run that put Iowa State ahead for the first time. Dejean-Jones has 14 points and Monte Morris tallied 11.
Royce O’Neale led Baylor with 15 points. Motley had 14 and Chery 13.