Jayhawks Defeat Kansas City 74-64 in Season Opener

Wednesday, November 5

Lawrence, Kan.

6:30 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

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Jayhawks Defeat Kansas City 74-64 in Season Opener

11/5/2025 9:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – S'Mya Nichols and Regan Williams combined for 39 points to lead the Kansas Jayhawks to a 74-64 victory over Kansas City Wednesday night in the season opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

Nichols paced the Jayhawks with 21 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Williams added 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Jaliya Davis had 10 points and four rebounds in her Kansas debut, which was limited to 16 minutes of action by foul trouble.

The Jayhawks open the season 1-0 for the ninth-straight season while improving to 10-1 in season openers under head coach Brandon Schneider.

"I thought S'Mya was really consistent. I thought she made plays when we needed her, showed some patience and found holes in the defense," Schneider said following the game. "I think it's well documented that she's one of the better guards in the country, and we have every right to be confident in her. I think one of my favorite sayings is 'confidence is born of demonstrated performance' and she's proven it time and time again that she's in pretty rare company."

In the first quarter, Kansas City scored the opening basket, but the Jayhawks responded with strong defense, holding the Roos scoreless for nearly three minutes. During the stretch, Jaliya Davis converted for two layups to give Kansas a 4-2 lead with 6:38 to play. Kansas City answered with a three-pointer and a jumper to go up 7-5. KU cut the lead to 7-6 with a free throw, but the Roos hit two more jumpers to lead 11-6. A late layup from Lilly Meister brought Kansas within one possession, 11-8, heading into the second quarter.

The Jayhawks opened up the second quarter with a three-point jumper contested by Elle Evans to tie the game at 11-11 and shift the momentum. Evans' shot sparked a 9-2 Kansas run, giving the Jayhawks a steady 17-13, prompting a Kansas City timeout. Out of the timeout, Kansas surged on an 8-0 run.

Regan Williams scored back-to-back layups, followed by a fast-break basket from Keeley Park. Kansas City briefly halted the run before Williams responded with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 28-15. The Roos added four more points, but Kansas remained unfazed as Laia Conesa hit a contested three, pushing the Jayhawks' lead to 31-19 with 3:30 left in the second quarter.

At the 2:22 mark, Davis was able to finish through contact for an and-one and converted the free throw. Kansas City closed the quarter with two threes, but Kansas headed into the half with a promising 34-28 lead.

After the Roos opened the second half with two free throws, Nichols answered with a three-pointer and added a free throw on the next possession to keep the Jayhawks in front at 37-30. The KU offense kept rolling as Libby Fandel scored on a fast-break layup, followed by another basket from Williams that lifted Kansas to a 14-point lead at 47-33 with 4:26 to play in the third. The Roos capitalized on an and-one play to trim its deficit to 49-39, then knocked down a three-pointer to pull within striking distance with Kansas still leading 49-42. A late Kansas City foul sent Nichols to the line, where she sank both free throws to make it 51-42. The Roos added two final points to close the quarter with KU leading 51-44.

In the final frame, Kansas opened with five straight points off a Nichols layup and a three-point jumper from Meister for a 56-44 advantage. Nichols continued to lead the charge, converting another layup and completing a three-point play to push the margin to 59-46. Meister stayed active in the paint with another bucket, and Evans followed with a three from the wing for a 64-51 lead. Williams followed with back-to-back layups, including one from a fast break, giving Kansas a large 68-54 advantage with 4:24 remaining. In the final minute, Kansas maintained control on both ends of the floor, slowing the pace and keeping the Roos from mounting a comeback as KU completed the season opener with a 74-64 win.

Kansas returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 9, hosting Northwestern State for a non-conference matchup that will tipoff at 2 p.m. CT from Allen Fieldhouse.