Via Kansas Athletics
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Kansas Jayhawks used a 13-2 run at the end of regulation to force overtime before falling to Cincinnati 78-74 on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.
Elle Evans scored a season-high 30 points and added four rebounds, becoming the first Jayhawk to score 30 or more points in a game since Zakiyah Franklin had 31 vs. Iowa State on March 1, 2023. S’Mya Nichols had 17 points and four assists in 31 minutes before fouling out. Regan Williams also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in just 16 minutes of action before she too fouled out. The trio combined for 57 of KU’s points on the day.
Kansas falls to 14-10 (4-9 Big 12) on the year following its third consecutive defeat. Cincinnati improves to 14-8 (6-6 Big 12).
“I thought Elle was really good today, and I think the most impressive thing is that she had no turnovers,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “Overall, we just had too many mistakes, especially in overtime. You can’t foul 26 times against a team like Cincinnati, knowing that free throws are such a big part of how they score.”
The first quarter featured two ties and four lead changes, including a 6-0 Kansas run that put the Jayhawks up 10-8 following a coast-to-coast drive and layup by Brittany Harshaw. Cincinnati answered with a 5-0 run before S’Mya Nichols hit two free throws on the final possession to cut UC’s lead to 16-14 at the end of one.
Kansas trailed 29-23 with just over five minutes to play in the half, but the Jayhawks held Cincinnati scoreless the rest of the period after it was reviewed and ruled that UC’s one-made three-pointer was after the shot clock had expired. In that time, Elle Evans scored 11-straight for KU, hitting three three-pointers and two free throws to send the Jayhawks to the intermission leading 35-29.
Cincinnati hit four straight shots as part of a 9-0 run to open the second half, and the Bearcats led 45-39 at the 3:23 mark after a 16-4 start to the half. Evans continued her scoring streak with the last seven points of the quarter, including a corner three on the final possession that cut UC’s lead to 49-46 at the end of the quarter.
The Bearcats pushed the lead to double figures for the first time with 5:09 to play in the fourth and led 67-56 with 4:34 to play. From there, Kansas scored the next 11 points, holding UC scoreless until less than a minute remained in the game. The Jayhawks got five points from Evans and four from Williams in the run before Nichols tied the game with a jumper that made it 67-all with 42 seconds to play. Nichols gave KU a 69-68 lead on the next possession before UC hit a free throw to knot the score and send it into overtime tied at 69-all.
Cincinnati grabbed the first five points of the extra period and never looked back. A Conesa layup would cut the Bearcat lead to three, which was the lowest it would get in overtime. Despite a late Jayhawk push, the Bearcats were able to hold serve at home and top Kansas 78-74 in overtime.
UP NEXT:
Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, with a home game against Iowa State. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
