WACO, Texas (AP) - Lauren Cox scored 22 points to lead all five Baylor starters in double figures and the No. 2 Lady Bears pulled away in the second half for an 84-69 victory over No. 20 Iowa State on Wednesday night.
Cox had a tying layup to start an 8-0 run that put Baylor (16-1, 6-0 Big 12) ahead to stay midway through the second quarter, a quick spurt she capped with another layup. That was part of a 13-5 surge to end the first half that put Baylor up 41-35 after Cox hit a 3-pointer from the right corner.
Iowa State (14-5, 4-3) was ahead 30-28, its last lead matching its largest, when Bridget Carleton converted a three-point play with about 5½ minutes left in the first half. She made a steal and drove for a layup while being fouled.
There were six ties and five lead changes in the game, all before halftime.
Kalani Brown had 18 points for Baylor. Juicy Landrum scored 16, DiDi Richards added 15 and Chloe Jackson 11. Jackson also had 11 assists, and the Lady Bears assisted on 29 of their 34 field goals.
Carleton had 28 points, 24 before halftime. Alexa Middleton finished with 18 points for the Cyclones, and Kristin Scott had 12.
The Lady Bears pushed it to a 10-point advantage when Cox made a strong inside move for a reverse layup less than two minutes after halftime. They outscored Iowa State 25-12 in the third quarter.
Carleton had 16 points in the first quarter, making six shots in a row after missing Iowa State's opening attempt. Carleton hit a 3-pointer before five layups - three of them in a 70-second span for a 15-13 lead that was the first of the game for the Cyclones.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: Carleton went inside and challenged Baylor's big posts, and that kept the Cyclones in the game during the first half even though they weren't making their 3-pointers. They finished 7 of 25 (28 percent) from beyond the arc. Iowa State is 1-3 against Top 25 teams this season.
Baylor: The Lady Bears have won 28 consecutive regular-season Big 12 games since late in the 2016-17 season. They have won all their conference games this season an average margin of nearly 22 points, though Iowa State matched the closest (Kansas State also lost by 15 to Baylor).
UP NEXT
Iowa State is on the road for the third time in four games, Saturday at Oklahoma State.
Baylor plays its next two games in Oklahoma, on Sunday against the Sooners and next Wednesday at Oklahoma State.
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