Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas outscored Texas Tech 13-6 over the final 2:47 to break a 44-all tie and defeat the Lady Raiders 57-50 on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
S’Mya Nichols went 10-for-11 from the free throw, including 7-for-7 in the last five minutes of the contest, as she finished with 20 points and six assists. For Nichols, it’s her 14th game with 20-plus points this season, and she moved into the top 10 for career free throws at Kansas during the game.
Following up their twin pair of double-doubles from the last contest, Regan Williams added 14 on 6-of-8 shooting while Laia Conesa finished with 10 points as the only other Jayhawks to score in double figures. Elle Evans led the team as she matched a season-high with seven rebounds, while also contributing seven points, two assists, two steals and a block.
Kansas has now won two straight games to improve to 14-7 on the season and 4-6 in Big 12 play. Texas Tech drops to 14-9 (3-7 Big 12) for the season.
“S’Mya was really good in those last four minutes,” said Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider. “Maybe it wasn’t her best the other 35 minutes, but those are situations where our expectations are so high of certain players and sometimes you have got to give a little grace. I thought when her and Regan were on the bench with two fouls, I was really proud of how we stepped up and continued to play hard and execute with Laia running the point. We made some important plays to not only maintain the lead but to stretch the lead just a tiny bit during that period.”
Texas Tech scored the first eight points of the game while holding Kansas scoreless for four minutes until Evans completed a contested layup off full court pressure, making it 8-2 with 5:51 to play. Willams completed a three-point play as the Jayhawks trailed 8-5 at the first media break. Conesa hit a free throw and Evans added another basket as Kansas finished the quarter on a 10-0 run to enter the second quarter of action ahead 10-8.
The Jayhawk defense prevented the Lady Raiders from scoring for 8:06 minutes between the first and second quarter and capitalized on the opportunity to score 12 straight points during that time frame.
Texas Tech managed to flip the lead back in its favor at 16-14 with 3:50 until the break, but free throws by Conesa, Carla Osma and Danai Papadopoulou put the Jayhawks back on top at 18-16. Conesa converted a steal into a fast break layup with 1:13 left to round out the first half scoring with KU leading 20-16.
Nichols and Williams led the second half charge, combining for the Jayhawks’ first nine points as KU held a 29-25 edge with 3:56 left in the third. Seven of Kansas’ 13 third quarter points came from the free throw line as Kansas closed out the frame knocking in four for a 33-30 lead heading into final action.
It was a back-and-forth fight in the fourth quarter, which featured five ties. Nichols stepped to the line to break the 44-all tie with 2:18 to play and hit both attempts to give the Jayhawks the lead for good. Nichols hit all seven free throws she attempted in the last five minutes and scored 15 points total in the fourth quarter to lift her team to another conference victory.
Up Next
The first installment of the Dillon’s Sunflower Showdown will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, in Lawrence as the Jayhawks host No. 11 Kansas State. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Postgame Notes
Team
– Kansas held Texas Tech to 16 first half points, the fewest given up in any half during Big 12 play this season, and the fewest surrendered since the Jayhawks held Lindenwood to 11 points in the first half on November 6th, 2024.
– Texas Tech’s 50 points were the fewest given up by a Kansas team in Allen Fieldhouse since January 18, 2020, another contest against Texas Tech which resulted in a win over the Lady Raiders.
– Wednesday’s victory over the Lady Raiders marks the fifth time Kansas has topped Texas Tech in the last six matchups, going undefeated in Allen Fieldhouse during that stretch that dates back to the 2021-22 season.
– With the victory Wednesday night, Kansas moves to 8-0 when the Jayhawks outrebound their opponents this season. Kansas is also a perfect 12-0 when having the lead after three quarters of play along with a 13-0 mark when opponents score 69 or fewer points.
– Kansas topped Texas Tech Wednesday night despite going 0-7 from beyond the arc. The last time the Jayhawks were held without a three-pointer was December 10th, 2017, which also resulted in a victory over Southeast Missouri State.
Individual
– Elle Evans notched her 400th career rebound in Wednesday’s contest. Evans finished Wednesday’s contest with exactly 400 rebounds for her career.
– S’Mya Nichols surpassed Lynn Price (1997-2000) for 10th in career free throws made at 334, as she went 10-11 at the free throw line for a career total of 342. Nichols finished the game with 20 points, her 14th 20-point game of the season and 23rd of her career.
– Laia Conesa added 10 points in Wednesday’s win, marking her fifth-consecutive game scoring in double-figures, and the 10th game of her career where she has notched double-digit points.
– Regan Williams scored 14 points in Wednesday’s victory, marking her ninth career game with 10 or more points and her second in as many games.
