A battle between former conference rivals that went down to the wire on two occasions last season — a triple-overtime meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, then a hard-fought Women’s National Invitation Tournament matchup in Lawrence — featured far less drama Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Kansas women’s basketball team embarked on an 18-3 run in the second quarter and never let Nebraska draw close again, cruising to a 69-52 victory to conclude its nonconference slate.
Top-notch centers Taiyanna Jackson of Kansas and Alexis Markowski of Nebraska provided plenty of intrigue in the paint, as Markowski shook off early foul trouble to tally 19 points and 11 rebounds — both game highs — but no one else on her team scored more than six. Meanwhile, Jackson, with 12 points and nine rebounds, was one of four KU starters in double figures.
Guard Zakiyah Franklin started the game firing away from deep and then got aggressive inside later on, finishing with 16 points to lead the Jayhawks. Freshman S’Mya Nichols scored 13 on a bit of an off night offensively, and Wyvette Mayberry had 12 more.
KU finished its nonleague schedule at 7-4 and will host West Virginia to open Big 12 Conference play on Dec. 30.
A sloppy first quarter Wednesday began in fitting fashion, as it took nearly two minutes for either team to get on the board before Nichols drove in for a slick left-handed layup. Mayberry followed suit with her right soon after, but the Huskers responded with seven straight points, including a deep, banked 3-pointer by Jaz Shelley.
Jackson got going with a pair of close-range baskets to break the drought as KU retook the lead. Cycling through their bench later in the quarter, the Jayhawks held on for an 11-9 advantage entering the first break.
They extended it thanks to 3s by Holly Kersgieter and Ryan Cobbins, then got up as many as 11 points thanks to a layup by Laia Conesa on a nice feed in transition by Kersgieter, then a Jackson putback. Nebraska finally halted the run with a Maddie Krull 3-pointer that made it 25-17 with 3:45 remaining in the half.
Nichols didn’t score well in the first half, but made a significant play on defense when she took a charge from Markowski that sent the all-conference center to the bench with three fouls. All told, KU closed the first half up 32-17, as Nebraska went just 3-for-13 in the second quarter and 7-for-25 overall in the first half.
The Huskers started to eat away at the deficit with some inside and outside scoring by Markowski for eight points in just over five minutes, but Nichols helped keep them at bay with a three-point play and Franklin added a string of free throws.
Franklin and Natalie Potts traded buckets in the final minute of the third. Then Jackson missed the first attempt from beyond the arc of her KU career and the Jayhawks entered the fourth quarter with a 46-34 advantage.
Mayberry buried a 3 on the opening possession of the final frame, and Kersgieter and Jackson added layups to give KU its largest lead of the night at 19 points.
Nebraska cranked up its defensive pressure and was able to narrow the margin to 13 points on a couple of occasions, but took the eventual 17-point loss after a long series of fouls by both teams.
Kansas guard Laia Conesa makes a layup off a fast break Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, against Nebraska in Lawrence.
Kansas guard Ryan Cobbins fires a 3-pointer Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, against Nebraska in Lawrence.
Kansas guard Holly Kersgieter releases a 3-pointer Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, against Nebraska in Lawrence.
Kansas center Taiyanna Jackson makes a layup Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, against Nebraska in Lawrence.
Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry goes up for a layup against Nebraska Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, in Lawrence.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World