Baylor
Iowa State
No. 22 WBB Returns to Action at No. 10 Iowa State
1/3/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears and Cyclones tipoff at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN and the Baylor Sports Media Network
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22/21 BAYLOR BEARS (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
22/21 BAYLOR (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) vs 10/10 IOWA STATE (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) Jan. 4, 2026 • 2 p.m. CT Ames, Iowa • Hilton Coliseum (14,267) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: ESPN Talent: Eric Frede (pxp), Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via FOX Sports Radio 93.9FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com. Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Lori Fogleman (analyst) |
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10/10 IOWA STATE CYCLONES (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) Location: Ames, Iowa Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Bill Fennelly (William Penn, 1979) Roster | Stats |
Game notes:
• Baylor begins 2026 in Ames to take on the 10th-ranked Cyclones on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be live on ESPN and the Baylor Sports Media Network.
• The Bears face the Cyclones for the 50th time in program history after claiming both matchups last season, once at Foster Pavilion in the regular season and once in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship quarterfinal.
• Through games on Dec. 31, Baylor's defense ranks in the top quarter of the conference in each category: 3-point percentage defense (23.0%, second in Big 12), field goal percentage defense (22.8%, third in Big 12), defensive rebounds per game (29.5, third in Big 12) and scoring defense (55.9 points per game, fourth in Big 12).
• Baylor is ranked 22nd in the AP Poll and 21st in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll after its 12-3 start to the season.
• BU picked up its first Big 12 win in a 19-point comeback, the program's largest, at Oklahoma State on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears trailed by 19 with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter and stormed back to build a lead as large as 10 points over the Cowgirls before closing out a nine-point victory.
• Through games on Dec. 31, Baylor is ranked No. 32 in the NET.
• The Bears are 2-3 against Quadrant 1 opponents, with BU's top win coming against Duke in Paris to open the season.
• Baylor erased a 19-point deficit with 11:34 left in the game to defeat the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 77-68, in Stillwater.
• The 19-point comeback is the largest in Baylor history and is tied for the fourth-largest in the NCAA this season.
• Baylor became the fifth team in NCAA history to overcome a 19-point deficit with 12 minutes or less remaining in regulation without requiring overtime, and the first to do so since 2017. The Bears' nine-point margin of victory is also the largest among those teams.
- 1993 Rutgers, 22 pts (8:39) [+4 2OT]
- 2009 UNLV, 22 pts (9:51) [+1]
- 2017 Texas A&M, 21 pts (8:56) [+2]
- 2017 UNLV, 21 pts (5:27) [+8 OT]
- 1992 Florida, 20 pts (11:52) [+2 OT]
- 2014 Troy, 20 pts (7:27) [+2]
- 2002 Nebraska, 19 pts (9:48) [+1]
- 2005 Louisiana Tech, 19 pts (7:18) [+4 2OT]
- 2025 Baylor, 19 pts (11:34) [+9]
• After Oklahoma State built its game-high 19-point lead, the Bears stormed back over the final 11 minutes, outscoring the Cowgirls 36-8. Baylor used a 25-4 run to take the lead on a Jana Van Gytenbeek 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining.
• Baylor held Oklahoma State scoreless for 7:34 in the fourth quarter and without a field goal for 7:54, allowing only a single 3-pointer in the final eight minutes.
• In a dominant 29-8 fourth quarter, Baylor shot 75% while holding Oklahoma State to 20%. Van Gytenbeek, Taliah Scott and Kayla Nelms each scored eight points in the quarter, with Nelms also grabbing four rebounds. Yuting Deng added a pair of steals.
