Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider has referred to every game for the Jayhawks over the past month as playoff basketball.
Now, after a tough start to conference play that placed them firmly out of the mix for the NCAA tournament, the Jayhawks have battled their way back and are fighting for an opportunity to dance in March.
They took a big step toward earning that opportunity when they collected a key win on Wednesday evening, 68-59 over No. 20 Texas Tech at Allen Fieldhouse.
Junior guard S’Mya Nichols led the way for Kansas with 19 points, 15 of which came from the free-throw line, and 10 of those free-throw attempts coming in the final 3:30 of the matchup, including the ones that gave the Jayhawks the lead.
The game was physical from the start, with both teams’ players diving out of bounds and falling to the floor. Texas Tech was called for 27 fouls on the night, sending Kansas to the line 27 times, where the Jayhawks converted 24 attempts. On the other side, the Lady Raiders only found themselves at the line nine times during the matchup.
While Kansas didn’t lead for most of the game, the Jayhawks’ ability to keep calm during a frustrating fourth quarter helped them grab the lead and not relent down the stretch.
“I think poise and composure was something that we talked about being a big part of discipline for this game,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. “Because the nature of how they play, they pressure, they’re physical, they’re experienced, it’s a hard game to officiate, but I thought that was really important for us to be able to move onto the next play when maybe things didn’t go our way.”
Kansas honored four managers and four players before the game as part of senior day. Guards Elle Evans and Sania Copeland, along with forwards Lilly Meister and Nadira Eltayeb, were joined by their families on the court for a pregame ceremony honoring their contributions to the program.
“It’s been amazing,” Evans said while fighting through tears. “I think my decision to come to KU out of the portal is definitely one of the best decisions I could have made.”
“When an athlete or a staff member chooses a school, and then they also choose to be a part of a program, ultimately they’re also choosing me,” Schneider said. “So that’s something that I’m incredibly grateful for, that they’ve allowed me to be a part of their development.”
Texas Tech started the game with a bucket but Davis responded moments later to knot the score at 2-2. Layups from Davis and sophomore forward Regan Williams added to the tally for Kansas, but the Lady Raiders made the Jayhawks pay and found themselves with an 11-6 lead at the under-five timeout in the first.
Out of the break, Kansas tied Texas Tech when Evans added a jumper and 3, and then Nichols claimed the lead with two free throws. That lead held for a minute, but the Lady Raiders grabbed the momentum back at the end of the quarter. Senior guard Bailey Maupin tied things with a jumper and then senior guards Adlee Blacklock and Denae Fritz closed out the quarter with 3-pointers to send Texas Tech into the second quarter with a 21-17 advantage.
The physicality only increased in the second with bodies flying everywhere, including on one play when Nichols went flying over the Kansas bench while fighting for a loose ball. Nichols was uninjured and returned to the court.
The Jayhawks shored up the defense early in the second, holding the Lady Raiders to 2-for-9 from the field and adding points from Williams, Nichols and junior guard Brittany Harshaw ahead of the under-five timeout to keep the Texas Tech lead at 26-23.
The Lady Raiders added four points out of the timeout to extend their lead to 30-23, but another 3 by Evans and layup by Copeland got the Jayhawks back within two, but Texas Tech would extend its lead ahead of break and took a 32-29 lead to the locker room.
The two teams traded blows out of halftime before Davis got Kansas within one and then followed it up with two free throws to reclaim the lead.
Texas Tech added two free throws of its own to lead 38-37, but a flagrant 1 foul was assessed to senior forward Jada Malone for unnecessary contact to the face of Nichols. Nichols made one of the two free throws awarded to knot things up at 38-38.
The gritty battle continued for the rest of the third quarter, with neither team giving an inch. Heading into the final minute, the Jayhawks had the ball after forcing a Lady Raider turnover and were within two. Nichols drove for a layup but was blocked, allowing Texas Tech to throw the ball the length of the court to a streaking Maupin to extend its lead to four. The Lady Raiders then took a 52-48 lead into the final period of action.
The final period of play was contentious like the others, with heavy defense and not a lot of scoring. Meister added the first bucket of the quarter 21 seconds in, but it took over a minute for the Lady Raiders to respond.
At the midway point in the final quarter, Texas Tech led 56-52.
From there, fouls became an issue for Texas Tech. The Lady Raiders had four players with four fouls throughout most of the fourth quarter. Two starters, Fritz and junior guard Jalynn Bristow, found themselves among those with four fouls and both eventually fouled out in the final minutes.
A clutch 3-pointer from Evans made Allen Fieldhouse explode as the Jayhawks drew within one, but the final minutes were all about Nichols.
She drew a foul and made both at the line to give Kansas the lead, and the Jayhawks never looked back. Nichols made 10 free throws down the stretch to help secure the victory for Kansas. Junior guard Laia Conesa hit a dagger 3 with just over a minute to play and Allen Fieldhouse erupted again as the Jayhawks put the finishing touches on their 68-59 win.
Saturday’s season finale will be a big one for Kansas, with the Jayhawks still on the bubble of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re in a position, where I’m not going to say we can’t lose,” Schneider said, “but if we’re trying to best position ourselves from where we started playing catch-up, I think should we be able to have success in Stillwater, we’re 9-9, and then we go win one or better yet two games in the Big 12 tournament, then I personally think we should be a lock.”
Kansas now heads south to take on Oklahoma State on Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena to close out its regular season slate before the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, next week. The game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is scheduled for 5 p.m.
