Defense Dominant as Kansas Cruises Past Denver, 77-38

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Defense Dominant as Kansas Cruises Past Denver, 77-38

12/14/2025 4:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind a stellar defensive performance and three players scoring in double figures, the Kansas Jayhawks rolled to a 77-38 victory over Denver Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU's defense held Denver to 25.0 percent (12-48) shooting, and the Pioneers only scored more than 10 points in the fourth quarter. The game marks the fifth time in Kansas coach Brandon Schneider's tenure that KU has held an opponent to less than 40 points, the first since the Jayhawks defeated Washington 61-36 on March 29, 2023, in the WNIT.

Kansas was led by S'Mya Nichols, who topped the 20-point mark for the seventh time in 11 games this season, with a game-high 21 points on just nine field goal attempts. Nichols was 6-for-9 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Libby Fandel added a career-high 17 points, hitting 6-of-12 field goal attempts and 4-of-7 three-pointers, while also recording three rebounds and three steals. Lilly Meister tied her season-high with 11 points, and added five rebounds and three blocks. Tatyonna Brown scored eight points and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in the win.

With the victory, Kansas improves to 9-2 on the year while moving to 6-0 at home. Denver falls to 4-7 on the year.

"With the exception of maybe the first five minutes of the game, I thought we did a good job with defensive rebounding, we kept them off the free throw line, and then I thought we took care of the ball," Schneider said after the game. "This week we talked a lot about being one of creating momentum as a team but also confidence. I thought that was really important for Libby and Tatyonna today. I think they can walk out of here with an extra boost of confidence because sometimes confidence is born of demonstrated performance."

The Jayhawks opened the game on a 6-0 scoring run with baskets from Keeley Parks, Meister, and Elle Evans to take a 6-0 lead at the 7:44 mark. Denver responded with eight straight points to take their first lead of the game with 2:04 left in the period. Kansas retook the lead with 50 seconds left in the quarter with a three-pointer by Nichols, before Meister scored her second basket of the game with 26 seconds left to give KU a 11-8 lead after one.

Neither team could score for the first two minutes of the second quarter, before Denver tied the game at 11-11 at the 7:42 mark. An Evans three pointer started an 11-0 scoring run that lasted more than three minutes. The run included baskets by Nichols and Brown before a three-pointer by Meister made it 22-11 with 4:57 to play in the half. The Pioneers hit another three-pointer before Meister responded with ninth point in the first half. Fandel hit a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to give KU a 30-16 lead at halftime. The 16 points given up by Kansas in the first half are the lowest this season, and the fewest points since Jan. 29, 2025, when KU gave up 16 points to Texas Tech in the first half.

Kansas opened the second half on a 12-0 scoring run to take a 42-16 lead with 7:30 left in the third quarter. Nichols scored five points in the run that lasted two and a half minutes. Denver scored a basket at the 7:12 mark to stop the run before baskets by Fandel and Laia Conesa pushed the lead to 29, 47-18, at the 3:53 mark in the quarter. Kansas finished the final two minutes and 26 seconds of the quarter on a 6-2 run with a three-pointer by Fandel and free throws by Nichols to lead 55-23 after three.

The Jayhawks and Pioneers traded baskets in the first 5:05 of the fourth quarter, as Kansas held a 64-29 lead at the 4:55 mark. Fandel scored her fourth three-pointer of the day with 3:53 left in the game, as KU got baskets from Brown, Brittany Harshaw and Sania Copeland to close the game on a 13-5 run over the last four minutes and 22 seconds and win 77-38.