photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas forward Regan Williams smiles late in the game against Texas Tech in Allen Fieldhouse, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

The Kansas women’s basketball team came out on the winning side of a two-hour game on Wednesday night that saw a combined 50 fouls called, 45 free throws taken and 36 turnovers given up.

Much of this was thanks to leading scorer S’Mya Nichols’ ability to elevate her game in the fourth quarter, as she scored 15 of her 20 points in the period and didn’t miss a shot as she led the Jayhawks to a 57-50 victory over Texas Tech.

“I thought for about 36 minutes we did a good job (of containing her) considering she had seven points with about four minutes to go,” Tech head coach Krista Gerlich said. “Obviously she’s a fantastic player, and you’ve got to give a lot of attention to her… We knew we didn’t have one individual that could just stop her by themselves. Late in the game, she obviously took over, and that’s what great players do. And I think we went away from our game plan for her a little bit (at the end).”

Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider, Gerlich and the fans in Allen Fieldhouse were exasperated by the plethora of fouls, as an uneven pace led to a low-scoring game. The 31 fouls committed by Texas Tech were the most fouls Kansas has drawn in Big 12 Conference play in the team’s history.

“My dad told me a story about when he was young and he got his nose broken in a, what he called, a dirt clod fight,” Schneider said to begin his post-game press conference. “And that’s what that game felt like for two hours, just really physical. And we knew going in that it was going to be a very physical game.”

Another unique aspect of the game: Kansas didn’t make a single 3-pointer, and only attempted seven. Schneider said that the Jayhawks knew Tech would restrict their looks coming into the matchup, but it’s the first time in at least the last five seasons that Kansas hasn’t made a single 3-pointer in a game.

“We knew it was going to be difficult to get many 3s, just by the nature of how they played,” Schneider said. “So instead we just tried to attack the pressure the best we could.”

“We definitely didn’t want to give them open looks,” Gerlich said. “We tried pretty hard not to come off with (Elle) Evans as much as possible, because we have a lot of respect for the way she shoots the basketball, and I thought we did a pretty good job with that.”

But while Gerlich was impressed with her team’s outside defense, she noted that it “defeats the purpose” if people can get to the rim every time.

Instead, the Jayhawks found success inside, especially with a set play on which a cutting Regan Williams, fed by Nichols, grabbed a few easy layups.

“We’ve been practicing what we just did on the court all for the last three days. So we did execute that, and we got the job done,” Nichols added. “That’s all that matters.”

Texas Tech opened with a strong run, making three of its first four shot attempts to take an 8-0 lead. At that point, the Jayhawks had only attempted two shots and committed four turnovers in a sloppy start. But then Kansas’ defense stepped up, as the Jayhawks didn’t give up any points for the rest of the quarter, allowed only five shots, and forced four turnovers. During the same time, the Jayhawk offense had a relatively good stretch, putting up 10 points to get Kansas its first lead of the game, up 10-8 heading into the second period.

The Kansas defense remained strong as Tech’s struggles continued. The Red Raiders finally ended their six-minute scoring drought, embarking on a five-point run that put them back in front in a 13-12 game with little room for error. After a minute-and-a-half scoring drought, a layup by Laia Conesa put the Jayhawks on top, as four made free throws set the Jayhawks up for a 20-16 lead at the break.

After a low-scoring first half, both teams found a groove offensively in the third period, with Kansas having success on its sets featuring Nichols and Williams. That got the Jayhawks six points, while Tech’s leading scorer, Jasmine Shavers, scored five of its first seven points to make it a 27-25 game with Kansas in the lead. A trio of free throws doubled the lead before Shavers answered with a fast-break layup off a Kansas turnover.

Nichols went into the fourth quarter with five points on the night, before, as she so often does, she took over in crunch time to help Kansas scrape out a win in the whistle-ridden game. She went 4-for-4 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line to rack up 15 points in those ten minutes, including four of Kansas’ last five points. While Texas Tech responded for most of the quarter, powered by Shavers and Adlee Blacklock off the bench, Nichols stopped the duo by scoring four points in a row to put the Jayhawks up by six and secure their 57-50 win.

“We needed the buckets. We needed anything really, to set up the score,” Nichols said of her fourth-quarter performance. “And it just happened to be me. It could be anyone at any moment, but it just happened to be me.”

On the back of consecutive wins, Kansas (14-7, 4-6 Big 12) heads into a crucial Sunflower Showdown on Sunday against a Kansas State team (19-2, 7-1) that saw its 14-game win streak snapped by Colorado last week. The Jayhawks and Wildcats will take their rivalry to the hardwood at 2 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse for Kansas’ game celebrating girls and women in sports.

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