Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – In a fourth quarter that featured four ties and five lead changes, it was the go-ahead basket from Regan Williams with 36 seconds to go that lifted Kansas to a 63-58 victory over UCF on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
The duo of Williams and S’Mya Nichols combined for 14 of Kansas’ 17 fourth-quarter points as the Jayhawks outscored UCF 17-11 in the period. Nichols led the Jayhawks with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists before fouling out, while Williams added 11 points in just 18 minutes of action.
Elle Evans added 15 points and six rebounds, hitting all eight of her free throw attempts in the game. Brittany Harshaw reached double figures for the second-straight game, scoring 12 points, while Nadira Eltayeb led the Jayhawks with seven rebounds.
With the win, Kansas snaps a four-game slide and improves to 15-11 (5-10 Big 12) on the year, while UCF falls to 9-16 on the year and 2-13 in conference play.
“We did a much better job of taking care of the ball tonight and we were able to be aggressive enough to get to the free throw line,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “I thought Sania Copeland did a terrific job guarding and it’s great to see Regan Williams in limited participation come in and be our go-to person late in the game, especially with S’Mya Nichols in foul trouble.”
After a career-high 26-point performance on Saturday, Harshaw scored the first five points of the game by sinking all three of her free-throw attempts after drawing a foul on the arc, and finishing a fast break layup. Nichols scored her own layup to go up 7-3 with 6:49 left in the quarter before Kansas went over four minutes without a basket. UCF capitalized on a 14-4 run and led 17-11 at the end of one.
In the first 38 seconds of the second frame, Nichols knocked down a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one. The Knights managed to stretch it back out in their favor at 26-18 before the Jayhawks went on a 9-2 run that featured a Harshaw three, Nichols layup and six-straight Elle Evans points and to flip the lead at 29-27 with 1:29 until half. Another Evans bucket and four UCF points resulted in a first-half draw at 31-31.
Neither team found much rhythm early in the third quarter, going scoreless from the field for the first three minutes until Evans knocked down a corner three. Kansas got five straight points at the free-throw line, but UCF answered with three triples to take a 45-39 lead with 2:23 left in the period. The Jayhawks clawed back with a short jumper from Nadira Eltayeb, a Harshaw three-pointer, and two Nichols free throws, trimming the deficit to 47-46 heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes before the media timeout. Williams came alive, scoring nine of her 11 points in the period, including a go-ahead layup early in the quarter. Nichols later converted a three-point play, but UCF answered with five straight points to take a 54-51 lead with under five minutes to play.
Kansas refused to back down, tying the game twice before Nichols slashed to the rim for a go-ahead layup at 58-56 with 1:39 remaining. UCF managed to even the score one last time, but Williams responded with another key layup, and clutch free throws from Evans and Harshaw sealed the 63-58 victory.
Up Next
Kansas heads west to Manhattan on Saturday, Feb. 22, for the second installment of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against No. 12 Kansas State. Tipoff from Bramlage Coliseum is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
