Dallas ? Nicollette Smith burst comet-like onto the Kansas University women’s basketball scene. Then she quickly faded away.

Now the question is: Will Smith return to view tonight when the Jayhawks tangle with Drake in SMU’s Hoops for the Cure Classic?

A 6-foot-2 freshman from Tulsa, Okla., Smith led KU with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the season-opening win over Hartford, a performance that earned her Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors.

Then in the Jayhawks’ second game – last Sunday’s 64-58 win over UMKC – Smith failed to score in 19 minutes of duty, missing all seven of her shots, five from three-point range.

“She panicked a little bit when her shots didn’t fall,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Everybody has those nights.”

Henrickson will continue to use Smith as one of the first players off the bench when the Jayhawks play their first game away from Allen Fieldhouse.

Tipoff will be at 5 p.m. at Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus. The game won’t be televised, but will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network, including 1320 KLWN.

“I’m curious to see how we look away from home,” Henrickson said.

In their first two games, the Jayhawks shot impressively, making nearly 46 percent of their three-point attempts and recording 82.1 percent accuracy at the free throw line.

“That kept us in those games,” Henrickson said. “But right now turnovers and rebounding are the issues.”

KU has allowed an average of 16.5 offensive rebounds a game while averaging 20.5 turnovers. Those TOs have been spread around among just about everyone except point guard Ivana Catic who has been charged with just two miscues in 51 minutes on the floor.

Sade Morris and Danielle McCray, both 5-11 sophomores, lead the Jayhawks in scoring with 15.0 and 12.5 averages respectively.

Drake (2-2) boasts a two-pronged attack with forwards Jill Martin and Lindsay Whorton both averaging 17.3 points a game. The Bulldogs are coming off a 78-64 win over Weber State in Des Moines, Iowa.

Tourney host SMU will meet Western Michigan in today’s 7 p.m. nightcap. On Saturday, the third-place game will be at 5 p.m. and the championship contest at 7 p.m.

The Jayhawks flew to Dallas on Wednesday night, practiced at Moody Coliseum on Thursday, then had Thanksgiving dinner at the team hotel.

After this weekend, KU’s next five games will be in Lawrence, starting with Creighton on Tuesday night.