photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas guard Sania Copeland drives into the paint against Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

With Wyvette Mayberry out for her third game in a row and fellow starting guard Brittany Harshaw joining her on the sideline, Kansas women’s basketball was plenty short-handed going into Thursday night’s matchup against Omaha.

But the Jayhawks responded with their highest-scoring game of the year as every player who saw the floor scored at least six points. Thanks to tightened ball handling and movement, they limited turnovers, scored 14 points off their opponent’s turnovers, and outrebounded the Mavericks en route to a 75-56 win at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks, who improved to 3-0, also had their best 3-point shooting night of the young season, shooting a combined 52% with five of their 11 makes coming from Zoe Canfield and Carla Osma off the bench.

“We just do what we do,” sophomore guard S’Mya Nichols said. “Honestly, we did the same thing in previous games, they just didn’t go in. And that’s what we mean by keep shooting; we’re a really good 3-point shooting team, and as we practice more in Allen, it’ll keep coming.”

After a defensive struggle against Sam Houston State on Monday, Kansas took a stand early as ball movement got the Jayhawks some good looks to get out to a 12-2 lead. The Mavericks mounted a five-point run to get back into the game, but Kansas was able to close out the quarter with a 16-9 lead.

Elle Evans started the second off with what was essentially a five-point play, as she hit two foul shots after a technical foul was called following a stoppage on the floor, then sank a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. After the two teams essentially traded points for seven minutes of play, a 3 by Canfield in transition off a steal by Sania Copeland put the Jayhawks up 30-18.

“(Spreading the ball around early) helps a lot, because then the defense is looking at many players and it’s not just focused on one,” Nichols said. “Which means that when we share the ball, they’re already in the mix and are already one step ahead.”

Kansas then held the Mavericks to four points in the final two-and-a-half minutes to take a 34-22 lead into halftime.

Nichols led the Jayhawks with 10 points and three assists in the half as Evans, a North Dakota State transfer, added on nine points of her own to secure her highest-scoring game as a Jayhawk through just two quarters.

The third started off with a quick 3-pointer from Nichols off a steal by Evans as the duo kept things rolling for Kansas. Back-to-back dump-offs from Nichols to Nadira Eltayeb at the block capped a seven-point Jayhawk run that put them up 20, forcing an Omaha timeout.

After allowing five straight points, Kansas’ defense held strong for the rest of the quarter, mostly conceding points at the free-throw line or from the hands of Omaha’s Grace Cave — who scored nine of the Mavericks’ 18 points in the quarter.

“On the defensive end, it’s really really hard to replace Wyvette. But we have Laia (Conesa) and Elle, who bring in length and speed and especially, (Sania) too, bring in athleticism,” Nichols said. “At the end of the day, they were in the right spots, they were aggressive, going to the rim, and had some good offensive rebounds as well.”

Regan Williams traded off layups with Cave for KU to end the quarter with a 58-40 lead; Williams then picked up where she left off with a layup to open the fourth before back-to-back 3s got Omaha on the board. Carla Osma’s second 3-pointer of the night after coming off the bench capped a 7-2 Kansas run and put the Jayhawks up 67-48 with five minutes to play.

Kansas locked down to allow only three field goals in the final stretch, but “fouled entirely too much” in head coach Brandon Schneider’s mind to send the Mavericks to the line three times and grab an extra four points. However, the Jayhawks held strong, finishing off with a four-point play by Conesa and a layup by Copeland to secure their biggest win of the year.

“(Sania’s) been really consistent. She’s been outstanding to start the season,” Schneider said postgame. “She’s playing three different positions for us, so thank goodness that her basketball IQ is such that we can move her around like that, because we’d be in even greater trouble if we didn’t have a player like that.”

Nichols led the Jayhawks in points again with 16 and nine assists, while Copeland grabbed all 12 of hers in the second half for a final boost. Kansas’ bench stepped up big, scoring 23 points in nearly 60 minutes of combined playing time.

“We love seeing anybody come off the bench and just have that spark for us,” Copeland said. “It really helps us all, so that was big.”

This bench production was not part of the Jayhawks’ identity last year.

“I don’t know if we had 23 bench points all of last year, so that’s a pretty big positive,” Schneider said. “It was nice to see Carla shoot with confidence, and I told our staff before the game that Zoe would make at least two 3s. So we felt really good about her coming in and understanding exactly what we were looking for.”

While the bench play provides cause for optimism during Kansas’ depleted start to the year, Schneider said he’s “hoping” to have Mayberry back for Sunday’s game against North Alabama.

“Not having Harshaw tonight is a big absence as well,” he added. “We just hope to get those guys back as soon as possible.”

This chance for them to return comes especially soon as Kansas will play its third game of the week against the Lions at 2 p.m. on Sunday to wrap up its opening four-game home stand.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas freshman guard Zoe Canfield knocks down a first-half 3-point shot against Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas guard Elle Evans works around an Omaha defender on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas guard Elle Evans makes a 3-pointer over an Omaha defender on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas center Nadira Eltayeb shoots inside against Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas center Regan Williams goes up for a layup inside against Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas guard S’Mya Nichols pulls up for a jump shot against Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Lawrence.

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