Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind 24 points from S’Mya Nichols and a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds from Lilly Meister, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated Minnesota 63-57 on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Nichols was 12-for-12 from the free throw line as she topped the 20-point mark for the fourth time in five games. Meister recorded her second career double-double and first as a Jayhawk with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting while pulling down 10 rebounds. Elle Evans also reached double figures with 11 points, while Regan Williams added eight points and four rebounds.
With the win, Kansas improved to 5-0 on the year, while handing Minnesota its first loss to drop the Golden Gophers to 4-1.
“On a night where we weren’t terrific on offense, this team learned that you can win if you’ll just be really tough and gritty and guard,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “That’s a team that won 25 games last year, and we just held them to 36 points below their average. They have everybody back, they’re a veteran team, they’re a tough team. I just thought we really committed to defending as a unit and I thought Nadira Eltayeb and Lilly Meister were exceptional in the post.”
Kansas opened the first quarter with four straight points from S’Mya Nichols before Minnesota answered with a jumper. The Jayhawks responded quickly with a three-pointer from Lilly Meister and another layup by Nichols, building a 9-2 lead while holding the Gophers scoreless for nearly three minutes. Out of a media timeout, KU continued to make an impact offensively. A second chance putback from Nadira Eltayeb, followed by a three-pointer from Elle Evans, pushed Kansas in front 14-5 with 3:53 left in the frame. Minnesota started to chip away at the deficit with three points to cut the lead back to 14-8, but KU’s defense held strong and the Jayhawks tacked on four late points to take an 18-8 advantage into the second quarter.
Minnesota opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, but Kansas responded immediately with a basket from Keeley Parks. The Gophers answered again, yet Parks delivered another key contribution with a three-pointer to maintain KU’s steady 23-13 lead. Minnesota then scored the next 12 points to take their first lead of the night, 25-23. KU answered quickly, tying the game on a layup from Regan Williams, before hitting four free throws down the stretch to lead 29-27 at the break.
The Gophers opened the second half with the first basket, but Kansas responded with four straight points from Nichols, who knocked down a pair of free throws and followed with a three-pointer for a 34-29 advantage. Minnesota tied the game at 37 after back-to-back threes, but KU regained control when Evans responded with a three of her own. Kansas led the remainder of the quarter, pushing the lead to six at 49-43 after scoring the final four points of the frame.
The fourth quarter opened with consecutive 6-0 runs, first from Minnesota as the Gophers tied the game following a layup at the 7:40 mark. Meister and Evans combined to score the next six for Kansas, putting the Jayhawks back on top 55-49 with 5:40 to play and forcing Minnesota to call a timeout. Following a couple of traded baskets, Minnesota got out and ran off a steal to cut the Kansas lead to just two, 57-55, with 1:27 to play and forced a Jayhawks timeout. Out of the timeout, Nichols dribbled out the clock before attracting a double team and making a beautiful bounce pass that led to a Williams layup to put Kansas back up four with 53 seconds remaining. The Gophers got two back off after an offensive rebound, before Nichols drew a foul and knocked down two free throws with ten seconds to go. She tacked on two more free throws in the closing seconds of the game to put the finishing touches on a 63-57 Jayhawk win.
Kansas matches up with Oral Roberts on Sunday, welcoming the Golden Eagles to Allen Fieldhouse for a game that will tipoff at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
