Via Kansas Athletics
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. ā The Kansas Jayhawks came from 13 points down in the third quarter to force overtime and defeat Missouri State 73-70 on Sunday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Kansas claims its second road win of the week, both of which included coming back from an early deficit. The Jayhawks, now 8-2 on the year, overcame a 10-point first half deficit to defeat Northwestern 74-62 on Wednesday night on the road. Missouri State is now 7-3 on the year.
S’Mya Nichols scored a game-high 24 points, hitting 13-of-16 free throws, while adding seven rebounds and six assists to lead the way for Kansas. Keeley Parks and Lilly Meister added 11 points each, with both players matching their season highs. Regan Williams had nine points and six rebounds, while Elle Evans and Laia Conesa both added eight points in the win.
KU closes out non-conference play with consecutive home games, beginning next Sunday, Dec. 14, vs. Denver. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. CT. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
“We are fortunate to come away with the win, especially with players getting into foul trouble,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said after the win. “The defense has to get better, but we were able to make some plays to get us back into it. I thought we were tough enough in the second half to deserve to win, unlike in the first half. But we responded with better physical toughness in the second half to win.”
After trading baskets in the opening minutes, Kansas took its first lead on a three-pointer from Parks at the 7:11 mark. The basket was part of a 7-0 run that put the Jayhawks up 9-4 following Meister’s second basket of the game, with 5:27 to play in the quarter. KU led by as many as five points on three occasions, including at 14-9 after Nichols hit a pair of free throws at the 2:39 mark. From there, however, the Jayhawks were held scoreless while MSU closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to tie the score, 14-14, at the end of one.
Parks and Evans both hit three-pointers early in the second quarter, but Kansas still trailed 27-22 with 2:52 remaining in the half. Conesa capped off a 6-0 run with a basket, putting KU back on top, 28-27 as the Jayhawks held MSU without a basket for nearly four and a half minutes. MSU scored the last four points of the half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer, to take a 33-29 lead into the locker room.
Parks scored the opening bucket of the third quarter, getting Kansas back within two, but MSU answered with a 10-0 run to open up their largest lead of the game at 46-33 with 6:02 remaining in the period. Nichols answered with a three-pointer and Williams scored transition baskets on the next two possessions as KU used a 9-0 run to close to within four at 46-42. MSU scored the next five points before Parks knocked a three-pointer, her third of the game, as Kansas trailed 52-45 at the end of three.
Missouri State scored first in the fourth quarter, but Kansas scored the next seven as Evans knocked down a three-pointer and Nichols hit four free throws to get the Jayhawks within two, 54-52, with 6:56 to play. KU closed to within two on three occasions before Nichols knocked down a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to tie the score at 63-all for the first time in the second half. KU’s defense got a stop to close out regulation, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Kansas outscored Missouri State 10-7, which included a 7-0 run to take a 72-67 lead. The Jayhawks fell behind twice in overtime, but a pair of free throws from Sania Copeland with 1:19 to play put KU on top for the first time since the second quarter, and KU closed out the game with free throws from Nichols, Meister and Conesa. Kansas held Missouri State to just 4-for-16 shooting from the field in the fourth quarter and overtime.
