Kansas Defeats Auburn to Claim Paradise Jam Island Division Championship

Via Kansas Athletics

SAINT THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – S’Mya Nichols scored a season-high 28 points, including the game-winning free throws with 14.5 seconds remaining, as Kansas secured the 2024 Paradise Jam Island Division Championship with a 61-60 victory over Auburn on Saturday.
 
As she did all week, Nichols led the way for Kansas, scoring 28 points with two rebounds and four assists. She averaged 24.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game in the event to be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
 
“We had the best player in the tournament,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said of Nichols’ MVP performance. “When you have the best player in the tournament, you have a chance to win. She was big in every big moment. Good thing she’s only a sophomore.”
 
Elle Evans also earned a spot on the all-tournament team after scoring eight points while playing all 40 minutes in KU’s championship win. Evans averaged 14.7 points per game and hit a team-leading nine three-pointers in the Paradise Jam.
 
Nichols scored the last five points of the game, capping off a 7-0 run that erased a six-point Kansas deficit with 49 seconds to play. Laia Conesa hit a pair of free throws to cut it to four, then Sania Copeland got a steal that led to a three-pointer from Nichols, making it a one-point game, 60-59, with 31 seconds remaining.
 
From there, Kansas fouled, and Auburn missed two free throws, setting the stage for Nichols’ final heroics. While on the drive, she was fouled and sent to the line with 14.5 seconds to play, where she calmly knocked down two free throws, putting Kansas up 61-60.
 
After one final stop as the clock hit zero, Kansas secured its tournament title.
 
Conesa joined Nichols in scoring double figures, putting up 11 points. Regan Williamshad five points and a career-high nine rebounds, and Wyvette Mayberry added six points off the bench.
 
Kansas, who claims its first-ever Paradise Jam Championship, improves to 7-1 on the year, while dropping Auburn to 5-3. The Jayhawks won their three Paradise Jam games by a combined 10 points.
 
“We weren’t the best version of ourselves in the first half, we had too many live ball turnovers and gave up way too many offensive rebounds,” Schneider said postgame. “In the second half, we were able to slow the game down and be in the half court, where we could really be connected and play to the scouting report.”
 
Kansas started the game on an 8-0 run that featured a layup by Copeland, a three-pointer from Evans and a traditional three-point play from Nichols, which forced the Tigers to call a timeout. From there, Auburn scored the next six points and used a 17-2 run to take a 17-10 lead before Nichols hit a pair of free throws. Another late basket from Auburn gave the Tigers a 19-12 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The Jayhawks scored their first five points of the second quarter at the free throw line and climbed back to within five at 22-17 after Williams hit one-of-two with 8:09 to play in the half. Auburn scored six straight points to push the lead into double figures at 34-21, and the advantage stayed above 10 the rest of the half, with the Tigers leading 40-28 at the break.
 
Out of the locker room, Kansas scored on its first four possessions of the second half and use a 12-2 run to get within two at 42-40 with 6:13 to play in the third. Conesa scored six points in the run, including a momentum-changing three-pointer in front of the KU bench, and Evans got a fastbreak basket off an assist from Nichols, which led to another Tiger timeout.
 
Auburn hit a pair of free throws after the timeout, but Nichols scored the next four points, tying the game at 44-all on a layup with 3:44 to play in the third. The Jayhawks tied the game twice before Nichols scored and put KU on top 48-46 at the 1:31 mark. Auburn earned one point back at the free throw line, but Kansas maintained a 48-47 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was back-and-forth, with two big runs to decide the game. Kansas had a 54-52 lead with 4:15 to play, but Auburn answered with the next eight points, taking a 60-54 lead with just over one minute to play. From there, Conesa and Nichols scored the final seven points as Kansas claimed its seventh win of the young season.
 
Up Next
Kansas returns home to Allen Fieldhouse for the first of four home games in the month of December on Thursday, Dec. 5, hosting Wichita State. Tipoff is set for at 6:30 p.m. CT, with streaming available on ESPN+.