Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. –Jaliya Davis and S’Mya Nichols combined to score 50 points as the duo led Kansas to a 75-60 victory over Northwestern State Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Davis scored a career-high 28 points and had five rebounds, while Nichols topped the 20-point mark for the second consecutive game and totaled 22 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Davis was 10-for-15 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free throw line on Sunday. Nichols was 8-for-15 from the field and hit all six of her free throws in the win. Lilly Meister added eight points and eight rebounds, but no other KU player had more than four points in the game.
With the win, Kansas is now 2-0 on the year and the Jayhawks have won 35 consecutive non-conference home games at Allen Fieldhouse. Northwestern State fell to 1-2 on the year with the defeat.
“I thought S’Mya was good, and Jaliya really had a terrific presence throughout the game,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “Defensively, I was not happy with what we did in the second half. We’ve just got to be more fundamentally sound in terms of just closing out on the basketball. We got beat on the dribble entirely too much, and it was typically preceded by really poor closeout. So those are fundamental things that we have to continue to improve on.”
Kansas opened the game strong with the first five points of the game, beginning with a traditional three-point play by Nichols, followed by a pair of free throws from Libby Fandel. Northwestern State broke through with a layup, but Davis answered in transition to keep KU in front 7-2. The Lady Demons made a three before Nichols responded with the next four points to extend the lead to 11-5 with 6:53 to play.
The Kansas defense held NSU scoreless for nearly two minutes before the Lady Demons connected on a three to cut the lead to 11-8. KU added four points from Davis to push ahead 18-12 with 2:24 left on the clock. The Jayhawks held the Lady Demons scoreless for the rest of the quarter, while Davis continued to power the offense by adding a free throw. Lilly Meister buried a buzzer-beating three to send Kansas into the second quarter with a 22-12 lead.
The Jayhawks kept rolling in the second frame, starting with quick buckets from Meister and Davis to stretch the lead to 26-12. NSU broke the streak and answered with a layup, but the Kansas defense stayed sharp, holding the Lady Demons to only four points through the first five minutes of the quarter.
Elle Evans knocked down a wing three to make it 29-16. Regan Williams followed with a putback to push the margin to 31-16. Kansas continued to keep control as they headed into the media timeout. Out of the break, Kansas forced a turnover, then kept stacking defensive stops. Fandel knocked down a mid-range jumper to extend the lead to 33-18, and Nichols added a driving layup to pull ahead even further, 35-18 with under two minutes left. NSU found some offense with a three, but Kansas closed the half strong. Williams finished at the rim off a Nichols assist and Meister added another layup in traffic to send KU into the locker room up 39-23.
Kansas opened the third quarter with six quick points from Davis and Nichols to go up by 20 at 45-25. Northwestern State answered inside, but the Jayhawks started firmly ahead 45-29. The Lady Demons went on an 8-0 burst to trim the margin back to 48-37 with 4:05 left. Kansas steadied itself late in the third when Keeley Parks knocked down a jumper to push the lead back to 50-37. Northwestern State trimmed it to ten, but Nichols answered with a layup to restore a 54-42 edge. Laia Conesa converted a jumper in the final minute, helping KU carry a 56-44 lead into the last quarter.
Northwestern State started the fourth with two free throws and a three-pointer, cutting Kansas’ lead to 57-49. The Jayhawks responded with back-to-back layups from Davis and added four points on free throws from Davis and Nichols with 6:14 remaining. Davis and Nichols continued to lead the offense when they each added layups to push ahead even further at 70-55, a free throw made by the Lady Demons prompted a Kansas timeout. The Jayhawks maintained control for the remainder of the quarter and secured their second straight victory, finishing with a final score of 75-60.
Kansas continues its season-opening home stand on Wednesday, Nov. 12, hosting Lamar at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff of that game is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
