Kansas guard S'Mya Nichols (12) passes against Southern California guard McKenzie Forbes (25) during a second-round college basketball game in the women's NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

In a matchup against No. 1 USC, Kansas proved that it could hang with the best of the best, at least for three quarters of play. However, the Jayhawks dropped the second-round NCAA Tournament game 73-55 on Monday night in Los Angeles after coming back multiple times to make things interesting.

After falling into a quick double-digit deficit due to turnover troubles and the stellar play of freshman phenom JuJu Watkins, the Jayhawks fought back, led by S’Mya Nichols’ 22 points.

“I would probably say she exceeded expectations,” head coach Brandon Schneider said, reflecting on the highly regarded Nichols’ first full season with Kansas. “We’re very aware of what her skillset and the versatility of her game that she was going to bring to the table, but what we learned is her poise and composure and her ability to lead even veteran players was far above her years of experience.”

Kansas was able to trail by only nine at the half despite its sloppy performance, and kept things close with a pretty even third quarter before making it a one-point game at the 1:20 mark of the penultimate period.

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, a 17-2 run ending the third quarter and beginning the fourth put them in a steep 64-48 hole, which they were unable to climb out of.

Taiyanna Jackson posted another double-double in the final game of her career with 10 points and 18 rebounds against a tough USC squad and matchup down low.

“She’s very much needed on both ends, and she is dominant on the rebounds, and we really needed that today,” Nichols said of Jackson’s performance from the block. “They were animals on the glass and she got some great rebounds that we really needed that helped with our momentum, and she does that every single time.”

No other Jayhawk besides Jackson and Nichols hit the double-digit mark. Holly Kersgieter ended up with nine points on 3-for-7 shooting, while USC’s Watkins and McKenzie Forbes went for 28 and 22 points, respectively, combining to go 10-for-21 from long range.

“I’m really proud of what this group has become and the development of our team this year, but also I’m proud of the progress our program has made in the last three years,” Schneider said to open his postgame press conference. “I thought the second half their bigs did a really good job at protecting the rim and blocking shots and altering the shots. Give them credit, when we cut it to one, they responded with a nine-point run, as a really, really good team does.”

After starting off matching the Watkins-led Trojans nearly shot for shot, some sloppy setups and shooting woes plunged the Jayhawks into an 11-9 deficit after the first quarter. The first period ended with seven straight missed field goals in a four-and-a-half-minute scoring drought for the Jayhawks, while seven turnovers in 12 minutes led to 16 of USC’s 20 points.

“I thought the difference of the game was points on turnovers — uncharacteristically, we turned the ball over quite a bit in the first 15 minutes and enabled them to get off to a fast start,” Schneider said.

He then called his first timeout of the game after a pull-up 3 by Forbes off another Kansas turnover put the Trojans up 11.

The few positives for the Jayhawks included a single-digit deficit after the first ten minutes of play and the fact that Watkins racked up two quick fouls, forcing her to the bench before the quarter ended.

But a poor start turned worse for Kansas as its scoring drought did not end with the change of the quarter — USC stayed hot and took its largest lead at 27-12. From there, a couple of lucky bounces and some returned sloppy play by the Trojans gave the Jayhawks a fighting chance. KU went on a 12-6 scoring run to end the half down only nine.

Nichols was key to the Jayhawks’ effort, as she scored 11 points in the half, all coming in the second quarter, including a quarter-ending three-point play, her second of the night, to get within nine. Jackson struggled from the floor and the line in the first half, adding only six points on 2-for-7 shooting while going 2-for-4 from the line. But she was able to add on 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and a steal to keep the Jayhawks in the game on the defensive side and give them plenty of extra chances on offense.

For the Trojans, it was the duo of Watkins and Forbes that led the way with 11 and 12 points respectively, as USC shot 8-for-19 from behind the arc, compared to Kansas’ 1-for-5. In the first round, Michigan had gone 8-for-23 in the entire game against the Jayhawks.

In the second half, Kansas was able to start off steady, trading off buckets with the Trojans. The Jayhawks switched things up a bit, coming out of the break in a zone that they teased off and on in the first half, but employing it full-time troubled USC, outside of Forbes’ continued hot shooting from 3-point land.

After back-to-back layups on the fast break by Zakiyah Franklin and Nichols, Kansas got within 10 once again, as the Trojans called timeout up 43-35 to plan against the zone.

From here, Nichols continued to lead the comeback, as she scored seven points in the Jayhawks’ 15-4 run that made it 47-46 with Kansas facing its smallest deficit of the night.

“I feel like as a team we really lift each other back up. So, blocked shot, turnover, it’s the next play mentality,” Nichols said. “We genuinely went out there and played and in the fourth quarter they got ahead, I feel like that’s it.”

Watkins was able to lead a five-point run of her own to get the Trojans back up after the Jayhawks’ surge.

USC continued its charge to start the fourth, as another 3-pointer brought the lead back to 10 once again. The Jayhawks continued to struggle, failing to put together anything on offense and USC broke the zone to get back in a rhythm and grab its largest lead of the night at 68-50.

Kansas was continually unable to create any offense, relying on the free-throw line for points, while Watkins and Forbes stayed hot, burying the Jayhawks’ third-quarter comeback and condemning them to a 73-55 loss.

Kansas’ 2023-24 season came to an end with a 20-13 record, along with the playing careers of super-senior starters Franklin, Jackson, Kersgieter and reserve Ryan Cobbins. Senior Wyvette Mayberry went through senior-night festivities but retains another year of eligibility.

With the departure of three, possibly four, of its starters, Kansas will look to have a busy offseason in the transfer portal, acquiring new talent to join three players already signed from the class of 2024.

“I think it’s just a typical offseason in college basketball now, we have some spots to fill, we’ll be aggressive in particular in the portal now in the spring,” Schneider said. “But I think we’re a very attractive place with a lot of opportunities to step in and compete and play right away.”

“I feel like it’s a team sport … so it’s what we have to do as a team to get back here and advance from here,” Nichols said of what the looming offseason will hold. “We’ve got to get back in the lab, work on ourselves, things that we need to improve on, and then come together as a team and display it on the court.”

Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry (0) shoots during a second-round college basketball game against the Southern California in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Southern California guard JuJu Watkins (12) shoots agains tKansas guard Ryan Cobbins (5) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Southern California guard Kayla Padilla (45) tries to keep the ball inbounds near Kansas head coach Brandon Shcneider during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Southern California guard McKenzie Forbes, right, knocks the ball out of the hands of Kansas guard Zakiyah Franklin (15) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kansas center Danai Papadopoulou (14) shoots against Southern California center Rayah Marshall (13) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Southern California guard JuJu Watkins (12) is fouled by Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry (0) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kansas center Taiyanna Jackson (1) shoots against Southern California center Clarice Akunwafo (34) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kansas center Taiyanna Jackson (1) shoots during a second-round college basketball game against Southern California in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Southern California guard JuJu Watkins (12) passes against Kansas guard Wyvette Mayberry (0) and center Taiyanna Jackson (1) during a second-round college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)