Nichols’ Career Night Not Enough as Kansas Falls to Georgia

Friday, November 28

Fort Myers, Fla.

6:30 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

6-1,0-0Big 12

Georgia

8-0,0-0SEC

Kansas

Georgia

Nichols’ Career Night Not Enough as Kansas Falls to Georgia

11/28/2025 9:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – S'Mya Nichols put on a scoring performance for the ages Friday night, going for a career-high 40 points in KU's opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Despite the effort, Kansas was unable to keep its unbeaten start to the season alive as Georgia upended the Jayhawks by a score of 68-62.

Nichols was 12-of-17 from the field and made a career-high 14 free throws as she topped her previous career-high of 29 points from during her freshman season. Nichols' point total is the most by a Jayhawk in head coach Brandon Schneider's tenure and marks the first 40-point scoring effort by a Kansas player since Vickie Adkins had 41 against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Dec. 15, 1984. It was also the fourth 40-point performance in NCAA Division I women's basketball this season.

While Nichols carried the Jayhawks offensively, the rest of the team scored 22 points, led by Lilly Meister with seven points and Elle Evans with five.

The loss is the first for Kansas, who falls to 6-1 on the year, while Georgia improves to 8-0. Kansas will conclude the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Saturday, Nov. 29, with a matchup against Dayton. That game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be televised on ION.

Georgia scored the game's basket, but the next 10 points belonged to the Jayhawks as KU opened up a 10-2 lead, which forced UGA to call timeout at the 6:20 mark of the quarter. Meister and Nichols had three-pointers in the run, while Nichols scored seven of the first 10 points of the game. The run reached 12-0 before the Bulldogs hit a three-pointer at the 5:17 mark to make it 12-5. Nichols and Meister scored KU's final baskets of the quarter, which ended with the Jayhawks leading 16-7.

Nichols scored the first five points of the second quarter, pushing KU's advantage to 21-7 before UGA used another timeout with 6:05 to play in the half. Following a Keeley Parks three-pointer, Georgia went on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 24-20. Evans ended the run with a pair of free throw teams, but UGA closed the half on a 12-1 run to lead 32-29 at the break.

Regan Williams scored on KU's opening possession of the half, cutting the deficit to four at 35-31, but Georgia steadily advanced its lead from there. The Bulldogs outscored Kansas 23-14 in the third, with half of KU's points coming at the free throw line, and UGA led 55-43 entering the fourth.

Defense was again the name of the game in the fourth quarter, a low-scoring affair which saw most of the scoring done at the free throw line. Nichols scored the first three points at the line and Evans connected on a three-pointer as a 6-0 run by KU got the Jayhawks within six at 55-49. The lead hovered between six and nine points the rest of the way, with Nichols scoring 14 of KU's 19 points in the quarter. Kansas held Georgia to 2-of-11 shooting in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs closed out the game from the free throw line, hitting 9-of-14 in the final frame to secure the win.