photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas players pick up teammate Zakiyah Franklin during the game against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City, Mo. — After a streak-ending 24-point win over BYU on Friday, the Jayhawks ran out of steam and were unable to defeat second-seeded Texas, as they fell 76-60 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday at the T-Mobile Center.

In Friday’s game, head coach Brandon Schneider said he never had to take star center Taiyanna Jackson out due to potential foul trouble, something she’d struggled with all season, but that did not hold true on Kansas’ second day of the tournament. While Schneider played it conservatively, opting to pull Jackson after her first and second fouls, Jackson’s replacement, Danai Papadopoulou, picked up four first-half fouls in four minutes played to force a small Jayhawk lineup in the second half.

Getting only two points from Jackson on 1-for-3 shooting, Kansas relied on Holly Kersgieter’s 17 points and freshman S’Mya Nichols’ 20.

“I’m glad I don’t have to look at her for three more years,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said of Nichols. “She’s really special.” Texas is leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC beginning in the fall.

While Zakiyah Franklin added on 13 after her 20-point night against the Cougars, Wyvette Mayberry’s scoreless night on 0-for-7 shooting along with only two points by its second-highest scorer were too much for Kansas to overcome.

In a quarter defined by runs, Texas got out to a quick 4-0 lead before Kersgieter drained a transition 3-pointer to get the Jayhawks on the board. After taking a one-point advantage, Kansas gave up a five-point stretch to the Longhorns that included calls on both sides that neither Schneider nor Schaefer liked. An immediate eight-point run after the Jayhawks got within two resulted in Schneider calling his first timeout of the contest, and once again a Kersgieter 3 got Kansas on the board. After the Jayhawks looked overwhelmed and rushed to start the game, they faced a 19-12 deficit heading into the second quarter.

Kansas wasn’t ready to give up after one quarter of struggles, and came out swinging in the second with six straight points to trail by one. After coming within three on a pair of free throws by Kersgieter, the Jayhawks gave up a second-chance jumper to trail 34-29 at the break.

Kansas entered the half on a three-minute streak without a field goal, as its last three points came courtesy of Kersgieter at the free-throw line. She led the Jayhawks with 12 points in the half, while Nichols and Franklin added on eight and seven of their own. Jackson had very limited opportunities down low, but added two points on 1-for-2 shooting to go along with two blocks and three rebounds. Twenty-seven of the Jayhawks’ 29 first-half points came courtesy of the guard trio of Nichols, Kersgieter and Franklin.

“They’ve got great guard play,” Schaefer said. “I challenged my guards at halftime, because I thought our guards were getting beat, and I knew that the key to the game was going to be guard play.”

Texas was led by Aaliyah Moore with 12 points in the first 20, as she took advantage of Jackson’s absence down low for some crafty short-range jumpers.

Kansas’ foul trouble continued into the second half, as two quick fouls called against Jackson meant that both she and Papadopoulou had four fouls.

Schneider opened his postgame press conference with comments on the officiating and reflected on incidents around the country where coaches were fined for comments after a game, and specifically referred to the start of the third quarter.

“The first three minutes of the second half was really tough on us with some of the foul calls, just because it dictated our ability to stay in any type of typical rotation,” Schneider said. “With that being said, I thought Texas is just relentless, in particular on the glass. And I thought that was really the difference.”

Jackson was once again replaced by freshman Paris Gaines, who had the second-fewest minutes played of all Jayhawks this season.

Kansas continued to fight even with big mismatches down low, as Nichols took over once again, driving in to force fouls and hitting a clutch 3-pointer to make it 40-39 in favor of the Longhorns.

A six-point Texas run, split up by a Kansas timeout, was blunted by two strong drives from Kersgieter and Franklin, but the Jayhawks saw Nichols, their most reliable clutch player, head to the locker room with an apparent injury. Even with the challenges faced in the third quarter, Kansas headed into the last 10 minutes of its quarterfinal matchup down only 48-43.

Texas started the fourth with back-to-back wide-open looks for Shay Holle before she drilled her second 3-pointer in three possessions to give the Longhorns a nine-point lead. After Jones was left completely open down low in transition, Schneider called another timeout with his team down 58-49. The Jayhawks’ failure to clear on defense continued to haunt them, as Texas continued to get second chances and grew its lead to 65-53.

“Especially in the fourth quarter, the second-chance points just really piled up on us, and I thought that was the difference,” Schneider said.

After Jackson fouled out with just over half of the quarter remaining, the Jayhawks went without their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the remainder of a bleak-looking game.

“It’s also frustrating because we felt it was a little externally controlled, more than we liked,” Kersgieter said postgame. “And it’s hard to kind of continue through that frustration and not let it affect your play.”

Kansas continued to falter from there, with Papadopoulou also fouling out, leaving the six-foot Cobbins as the Jayhawks’ primary post option for the last few minutes of the game. The Longhorns outscored Kansas 28-17 in the final quarter.

“At the end of the day, it’s over. We can’t dwell on that for long,” Nichols said after the tournament-ending loss. “And we still have more to play for, so we just need to stick together and keep winning out.”

The loss ends the Jayhawks’ Big 12 tournament hopes, but the NCAA women’s tournament is just down the pike. Selection Sunday will be at 7 p.m. Central Time on March 17, where Kansas will find out its fate for the Big Dance.

“I don’t know where they’re going to be in the NCAA Tournament, but there isn’t anybody who’s going to be going ‘Goody, goody, goody we get Kansas,’ because they’re tough,” Schaefer said postgame, after he called Kansas “probably the hottest team in the country.”

Box score

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry drives to the basket against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry shoots a jumper against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard Holly Kersgieter shoots a free throw against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas center Danai Papadopoulou runs down the court against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard S’Mya Nichols shoots a layup during the game against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard Skyler Gill dribbles against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas coach Brandon Schneider roams the sidelines during the game against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard S’Mya Nichols shoots a floater during the game against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Big 12 Conference

Kansas guard Zakiyah Franklin shoots a contested shot during the game against Texas on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.