Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball dropped its first conference contest against Arizona, falling 74-59 to the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 21 points while Laia Conesa and Regan Williams had 11 apiece. Elle Evans added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Kansas is now 12-6 (2-5 Big 12) on the season while Arizona improves to 12-8 and 3-4 in conference play.
“We made too many errors on the defensive end tonight and I think that’s what makes it frustrating,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “But credit Arizona, I thought their depth really played a factor and their bench played aggressive. Our margin for error is very thin. I don’t think I had them as prepared offensively as we could have been and we didn’t execute the game plan that we had installed for this game.”
In the first quarter’s opening minutes, Kansas and Arizona traded the first few points. The Wildcats implemented aggressive full-court pressure early, but Kansas was able to make an offensive push with a contested basket by Nichols and free throws by Conesa helping Kansas cut the Arizona lead to three at 10-7. Despite strong defensive pressure from the Jayhawks, the Wildcats managed to capitalize on a few opportunities to hold a 19-11 lead going into the second quarter.
The Jayhawks started slow early in the second frame but managed to find their offensive rhythm when Evans hit a three-pointer from the corner, cutting the deficit to 30-20. Kansas held strong on defense, forcing Arizona into a 2:25 scoring drought, which created offensive opportunities for the Jayhawks. Conesa made a last-second layup by Conesa, despite being heavily contested, and sent KU into halftime trailing 37-23.
The third quarter saw a strong Kansas start as Williams scored back-to-back layups. The Jayhawks’ defense held the Wildcats without a field goal for nearly four minutes, allowing Kansas to narrow the gap to 11 points, trailing Arizona 42-31 at the first media timeout. With just four seconds left in the quarter, Nichols sank a clutch three-pointer from the top of the arc, giving Kansas crucial momentum heading into the final frame.
Kansas continued to play from behind throughout the fourth but Arizona outscored the Jayhawks 21-18 in the final frame to close out the 74-59 victory.
Up Next
The Jayhawks go on the road for two games next week, beginning with a trip to face Big 12 newcomer Utah on Wednesday, Jan. 22. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and be broadcasted on ESPN+.
Postgame Notes
Individual
– S’Mya Nichols finished with 21 points for her 12th game this season and 21st career game scoring more than 20 points. Nichols was 8-of-11 from the free throw line to surpass Danielle McCray (148) and Tamecka Dixon (152) for fifth in single season free throws. Nichols is now 154-of-187 from the line this season.
– Laia Conesa added 11 points as she finished in double figures for the sixth time this season. Conesa also established a new career high in free throws made as she went 7-8 from the line.
– Elle Evans tied her season high in rebounds as she led with seven and also tallied nine points while cashing in one of KU’s two three pointers on the day. It’s the fifth straight game she’s knocked down at least one triple.
– Regan Williams finished in double figures for the third-straight game with 11 points. It’s the seventh time she’s scored over 10 points this season.
