Via Kansas Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –S’Mya Nichols and Elle Evans each scored 20 points Saturday night to lead Kansas to an 82-77 win in the StorageMart Border Showdown at the T-Mobile Center. The matchup was the first regular season game between the two rivals since 2012 and went KU’s way.
Jaliya Davis added 15 points, while Regan Williams had 14 and Sania Copeland provided a spark off the bench in 29 minutes with five assists and three steals. The Jayhawks improved to 4-0 on the young season and Missouri fell to 3-1.
“We told our players pregame, ‘not every Kansas women’s basketball player has had the opportunity to play in this game; let’s go take advantage of it,'” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said following the game. “I thought a couple of our veterans, Sania Copeland and Elle Evans were physically tough and competed really, really hard. S’Mya wasn’t her best and still gets 20 and seven. It was good to see some others step up.”
The first quarter was played within close margins as neither team led by more than five points. The Jayhawks had the early five-point edge at 7-2 after Evans knocked down a three-pointer with 7:43 to play in the quarter. Missouri used a 5-0 run to take a 12-11 lead at the 4:25 mark, but Nichols quickly answered with a basket to help KU regain the lead. After Missouri went back on top 17-15, Kansas scored the final six points of the quarter and held a 21-17 lead at the end of one.
Kansas steadily built its advantage in the second quarter, which stayed between two and four points for the first three minutes until Libby Fandel connected on a three-pointer to make it 30-25 with 6:47 to play. That shot started a 12-3 run that put KU up 39-28 after Davis scored five straight points, including a traditional three-point play. Evans hit two threes and scored eight of KU’s last 10 points of the half, helping the Jayhawks to a 49-39 advantage after shooting 64.5 percent (20-31) from the field in the first half.
The Jayhawks cooled off early in the third quarter, hitting just one field goal in the first four as Missouri got back to within one at 51-50. Davis snapped the scoreless streak with a pair of free throws before Evans tossed in a three-pointer to make it 56-50 at the 5:52 mark. Missouri scored nine-straight points to take 59-56 lead before KU answered with a 10-3 run to close out the period and lead 66-62 heading to the fourth.
After the Tigers got back within one at 71-70, Kansas answered with an 8-0 burst that featured two baskets by Nichols and one each from Williams and Lilly Meister. Missouri got back to within five three times after that, but could get no closer as KU closed out the game at the free throw line and claimed the win, 82-77.
Kansas plays a second consecutive power four opponent when the Jayhawks host Minnesota on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
