INSTANT IMPACT
1/3/2026 12:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SMU transfer Brow makes the most of her opportunity in first game action
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
AMES, Iowa – Considering that SMU transfer Ella Brow hadn't played a game in 342 days and had gone through all of two post-Christmas practices, Baylor coach Nicki Collen wasn't expecting a lot from the 5-8 redshirt junior guard in Wednesday's game at Oklahoma State.
"I actually asked (associate head coach Tony Greene) if we should go to her," said Collen, whose No. 22/21 Bears (12-3, 1-1) will play 10th-ranked Iowa State (14-0, 20) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.
"I don't know if it was desperation, but you could argue that it was a little bit of, Jana (Van Gytenbeek) needed a blow. And putting more pressure on Taliah (Scott) coming back to handle the ball didn't make a lot of sense. I thought it was a really important move in that game."
And while Brow "didn't do anything to wow us," she made the most of her first five minutes in a Baylor uniform. The Aussie native had two assists and a rebound and provided a defensive spark in the Bears' biggest comeback in program history, rallying from a 19-point deficit to knock off the Cowgirls, 77-68.
"I think my mindset was, be ready, no matter what," Brow said. "Obviously, I only had two or three practices back after Christmas break, so just staying ready at all times and doing what I can for the team. I think in the moment, we needed some energy and to build some momentum, especially on the defensive end. So, that's what I tried to do."
Brow's minutes also gave a much-needed break to Van Gytenbeek, who had played all but 20 seconds in the previous two games. She scored eight of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, when Baylor outscored OSU, 29-8.
"I think Jana came back with more clarity, a little bit of rest," Collen said. "And she obviously played really well down the stretch."
Brow was part of the bench crew that Collen went with over the last 17 minutes of the game, as she subbed out starters Kiersten Johnson and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (9.9 ppg, 10.0 rebounds). Sophomore Kayla Nelms had 10 points and eight rebounds and was plus-16 in 13 minutes; Auburn traanfer guard Yuting Deng had four points, five rebounds and two steals and redshirt junior forward Kyla Abraham had five points, two rebounds and a steal.
'I just thought that group was getting it done," Collen said. "Too many coaches, and I'm guilty of it in the past, you watch your second unit or in some cases even some of our third unit, get you back into the game. Then, you go back to your starters, and it doesn't always work out. in that moment, I felt like those kids deserved for us to ride them.
"I think Kyla's blocked shot, some of the things she was doing defensively. But what I think bothered them, even though I wouldn't necessarily put Ting into our best defensive rotations, I thought her length bothered them. She got a couple of steals late, got some rebounds. I thought her length impacted us."
Baylor has a huge challenge ahead, facing an undefeated Iowa State team and the nation's leading scorer. The Cyclones' 6-3 junior center, Audi Crooks, is averaging 29.4 points and 5.5 rebounds and ranks No. 2 in the nation in field goal percentage (72.5).
Crooks scored 41 points in a 79-76 win over Kansas and followed that up with 35 points in a road win at Houston that matched the program record for best start.
"We've got to find a way to slow her down," Brow said. "It's going to be tough, but we have the bodies to do it. We've got Kayla, we've got KJ, we've got Kyla. We've got different people to throw at her. We'll just see how we go and just try and slow her down as much as possible and limit her efficiency."
Sunday's game is a national broadcast on ESPN, with Eric Frede and former Emory University head coach Christy Thomaskutty calling the action.
Baylor Bear Insider
AMES, Iowa – Considering that SMU transfer Ella Brow hadn't played a game in 342 days and had gone through all of two post-Christmas practices, Baylor coach Nicki Collen wasn't expecting a lot from the 5-8 redshirt junior guard in Wednesday's game at Oklahoma State.
"I actually asked (associate head coach Tony Greene) if we should go to her," said Collen, whose No. 22/21 Bears (12-3, 1-1) will play 10th-ranked Iowa State (14-0, 20) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.
"I don't know if it was desperation, but you could argue that it was a little bit of, Jana (Van Gytenbeek) needed a blow. And putting more pressure on Taliah (Scott) coming back to handle the ball didn't make a lot of sense. I thought it was a really important move in that game."
And while Brow "didn't do anything to wow us," she made the most of her first five minutes in a Baylor uniform. The Aussie native had two assists and a rebound and provided a defensive spark in the Bears' biggest comeback in program history, rallying from a 19-point deficit to knock off the Cowgirls, 77-68.
"I think my mindset was, be ready, no matter what," Brow said. "Obviously, I only had two or three practices back after Christmas break, so just staying ready at all times and doing what I can for the team. I think in the moment, we needed some energy and to build some momentum, especially on the defensive end. So, that's what I tried to do."
Brow's minutes also gave a much-needed break to Van Gytenbeek, who had played all but 20 seconds in the previous two games. She scored eight of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, when Baylor outscored OSU, 29-8.
"I think Jana came back with more clarity, a little bit of rest," Collen said. "And she obviously played really well down the stretch."
Brow was part of the bench crew that Collen went with over the last 17 minutes of the game, as she subbed out starters Kiersten Johnson and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (9.9 ppg, 10.0 rebounds). Sophomore Kayla Nelms had 10 points and eight rebounds and was plus-16 in 13 minutes; Auburn traanfer guard Yuting Deng had four points, five rebounds and two steals and redshirt junior forward Kyla Abraham had five points, two rebounds and a steal.
'I just thought that group was getting it done," Collen said. "Too many coaches, and I'm guilty of it in the past, you watch your second unit or in some cases even some of our third unit, get you back into the game. Then, you go back to your starters, and it doesn't always work out. in that moment, I felt like those kids deserved for us to ride them.
"I think Kyla's blocked shot, some of the things she was doing defensively. But what I think bothered them, even though I wouldn't necessarily put Ting into our best defensive rotations, I thought her length bothered them. She got a couple of steals late, got some rebounds. I thought her length impacted us."
Baylor has a huge challenge ahead, facing an undefeated Iowa State team and the nation's leading scorer. The Cyclones' 6-3 junior center, Audi Crooks, is averaging 29.4 points and 5.5 rebounds and ranks No. 2 in the nation in field goal percentage (72.5).
Crooks scored 41 points in a 79-76 win over Kansas and followed that up with 35 points in a road win at Houston that matched the program record for best start.
"We've got to find a way to slow her down," Brow said. "It's going to be tough, but we have the bodies to do it. We've got Kayla, we've got KJ, we've got Kyla. We've got different people to throw at her. We'll just see how we go and just try and slow her down as much as possible and limit her efficiency."
Sunday's game is a national broadcast on ESPN, with Eric Frede and former Emory University head coach Christy Thomaskutty calling the action.
Players Mentioned
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