After dropping four straight conference matchups and finding itself near the bottom of the Big 12, the Kansas women’s basketball team salvaged its two game-road trip to Arizona on Tuesday with a 80-69 win over the Arizona Wildcats.
Freshman forward Jaliya Davis collected her sixth 20-point game of conference play with 25 points and eight rebounds.
Junior guard and team leader S’Mya Nichols was a game-time decision for the Jayhawks heading into the game but got the start and finished with 18 points on 3-for-6 shooting, including 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Nichols left Kansas’ matchup with Arizona State last Saturday with an apparent ankle injury and had to be taken off in a wheelchair, but logged 21 minutes in Tuesday’s contest.
Arizona struck first, building a 4-0 lead, but Davis laid one in to get Kansas on the board. Nichols got her first shot attempt to fall on the next possession and the Jayhawks clawed back to within one at 6-5. Davis got her second layup to fall after that to give Kansas its first lead, but the Wildcats stuck back and reclaimed the edge.
Senior guard Elle Evans got the Jayhawks back to even with her first 3-point bucket in three games after starting the season as Kansas’ top shooter from downtown. Two more buckets from Davis kept the Jayhawks on pace with Arizona past the midway mark before sophomore forward Regan Williams got a jumper to fall to reclaim the advantage.
The Jayhawks built off forced turnovers to establish a lead and did not look back. Led by Davis’ 10 points, the Jayhawks found themselves with a 27-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
Junior guard Brittany Harshaw opened the second quarter by connecting from beyond the arc to extend the Kansas lead to nine. Junior guard Laia Conesa scored for the first time on the roadtrip with a 3 of her own to expand that lead to 10 and the two squads exchanged a pair of buckets to keep that difference the same past the midway point.
Fandel and Davis both got layups to fall to send the Jayhawks into the under-five media timeout with a 41-27 margin. The Wildcats inched back before halftime, but a layup from Williams and free throw from Nichols kept the lead in double digits and Kansas held a 44-32 edge at halftime.
Davis kept up her scoring in the second half, notching the first points of the third quarter for the Jayhawks with a layup in the opening minute. Nichols collected her second make from 3-point range after Arizona made two free throws to keep the margin high, but the Wildcats came storming back.
Arizona caught fire shortly before the midpoint of the quarter, embarking on a 12-0 run over the next 3:37 that saw the Wildcats draw even at 53-53, on the back of two 3-point buckets by sophomore guard Kamryn Kitchen. Schneider used a timeout with 1:43 left after the Wildcats tied the game.
Senior forward Lilly Meister tallied a second-chance layup to snatch the lead back for the Jayhawks before Davis got a pair to fall from the charity stripe to give Kansas a four-point lead with 37 seconds left. Arizona replied with a jumper from Kitchen, but Nichols was fouled as time wound down and collected both free throws to send the Jayhawks into the final quarter clinging to a 59-55 advantage.
Senior guard Sania Copeland turned the ball over to start the final period and Arizona scored a layup on the fast break to draw back within two, but Davis was able to get one back a few plays later when she was fouled on a drive to the rim. With just over seven minutes left, Evans collected her third 3 of the evening to extend the Jayhawk lead, but Kitchens answered with a 3 of her own on the next possession to keep the Wildcats in striking distance.
Nichols and Conesa each made one of two of their free throws to make the Kansas edge five with five minutes to play, and Davis added two more after the Jayhawk defense kept Arizona off the board and drew a foul on the other end.
In crunch time, Kansas stepped up and made crucial buckets. Nichols responded to a layup with two free throws and Meister countered Arizona again with a layup of her own with three minutes left. Conesa and Kitchens exchanged 3s on the next possession, as did Nichols and freshman forward Diniah Trammell with layups to put the Jayhawks ahead 76-69 with 90 seconds to play.
A pair of free throws by Nichols stretched that lead to nine with just over a minute to play, and Evans added on with a pair from the line as well, which was enough to allow Kansas to escape with a 80-69 victory.
Kansas now returns to Allen Fieldhouse for the Sunflower Showdown against another team of Wildcats, Kansas State. That game is set for Saturday at noon and the Jayhawks will look to pick up a win against their in-state rivals after losing both matchups last season.
