Via Kansas Athletics
SAINT THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Four players scored in double figures and Kansas hit a season-high 14 three-pointers as the Jayhawks claimed a 76-73 victory over Northern Iowa on the second day of the Paradise Jam on Friday.
S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists. She matched her career high with four made three-pointers in the win, while connecting on 11-of-14 free throw attempts. Elle Evans also reached double figures for the second-straight day, posting 17 points on 5-of-7 threes. Sania Copeland added 11 points and Wyvette Mayberry had 10, with each player hitting a pair of three pointers.
Five different players hit a three in the win, contributing to 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) shooting from long range. The 14 made three-pointers is tied for the second-most in program history, matching a mark from a game against Baylor on Jan. 16, 2019.
With the win, Kansas improves to 6-1 on the year while sending Northern Iowa to a second-straight defeat as the Panthers move to 3-3 this season.
“That’s a really good team we faced today with an elite player,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “We made a few mistakes early, but we got ourselves back on track and I was pleased with how assignment correct we were for the most part. Offensively, what I really like is 17 assists on 21 made baskets, I thought we moved it better today and shared the ball well.”
Kansas hit three three-pointers in the first quarter, getting contributions from Evans, Nichols and Carla Osma as the game was tied at 9-9 with 6:07 to play in the quarter. From there, Kansas was held without a basket for nearly six minutes until Copeland converted an old-fashioned three-point play to get KU within one, 13-12, at the end of the first.
The Jayhawks opened the second quarter with a 14-3 run that featured 4-for-4 shooting from downtown as Evans connected on two more threes while Copeland and Nichols each added one. Regan Williams got in on the scoring run with a layup of her own as Kansas took its largest lead of the half at 26-16. UNI answered with a 10-2 run to make it a two-point game before the Jayhawks scored the final six points of the half, including four from Osma, to take a 34-26 lead to the break.
Kansas hit 7-of-14 three-point attempts in the first half, led by Evans who hit three for a team-high nine points.
Evans and Copeland opened the third quarter with three-pointers and KU’s lead stood at 42-32 following a pair of free throws from Laia Conesa at the 7:22 mark. UNI answered with an 8-0 run, which Mayberry ended when she was fouled while making a layup and converted the three-point play to put KU up 47-40 with 4:10 to play in the quarter. Nichols scored the next 10 Kansas points before Mayberry connected on a three at the third quarter buzzer, which made KU’s lead 58-51 with 10 minutes to play.
UNI pulled to within one, 58-57, in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but Nichols and Evans hit back-to-back three-pointers to push KU’s advantage back to seven. Following a pair of Panther free throws, Nichols hit another three, her fourth of the game, to make it 67-59 with 6:43 to play. Mayberry hit another three-pointer and Evans knocked down a pair of free throws to again make it a 10-point lead with 2:25 to play.
UNI used an 8-1 run to get within three at 73-70 with 23 seconds to play and got to within two in the final seconds. Nichols then hit one of two free throws, making it 76-73, and UNI’s final attempt rolled around the rim and off, allowing the Jayhawks to secure the victory.
Up Next
Kansas closes out the Paradise Jam on Saturday, Nov. 30, when the Jayhawks face Auburn in the final game of the event. Auburn is also 2-0 through two games and the winner of Saturday’s game will be declared the champion of the Island Tournament. Tipoff against Auburn is set for at 2:00 p.m. CT, with streaming again available on ESPN+.
