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

Kansas center Danai Papadopoulou makes a layup against Oklahoma State Sunday, March 2, 2025 in Allen Fieldhouse.

Down a starter after losing guard Elle Evans in practice over the weekend with a quad injury, the Kansas women’s basketball team put up an impressive defensive performance but ultimately fell short of an upset win on Sunday’s senior day matchup against No. 21 Oklahoma State, losing 57-51.

The loss marked the end of Kansas’ regular season, as the Jayhawks finished with a 16-13 overall record and 6-12 record in conference play.

With Evans absent, the Jayhawks struggled with shooting all game, going 3-for-20 from the three-point line and shooting less than 33% from the field.

In a low-scoring game, Kansas’ defense, which has mostly been to blame in its losses this season, looked as good as it had all season, with the Jayhawks grabbing seven steals and three blocks in the first half alone. Senior Danai Papadopoulou slotted into the starting lineup in what was possibly her last game at Allen Fieldhouse and played her most impactful game of the season, scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end.

Her contributions included four straight points in the second quarter to tie Oklahoma State at 19 before the Cowgirls hit a buzzer-beating 3 to take a 22-19 lead into halftime. Kansas continued to fight in the second half, as S’Mya Nichols dealt with an aggravated knee, and Sania Copeland went to the locker room late in the third quarter after getting elbowed in the mouth.

But after tying things at 51, the Jayhawks ran out of speed, as Oklahoma State looked more poised down the stretch, and Kansas had a few sloppy offensive possessions, resulting in a six-point run for the Cowgirls to cement the win.

“We’ve had a couple injuries and a couple beatdowns, and we still find a way to go out there and play for each other and just not give up,” Nichols said postgame. “Today we lost, of course, like obviously, we see that, but our defensive effort was 100% there, and it just came down to the littlest, tiniest place that we will go to practice and fix it. But our love for each other on the court has really shown and will help us in the Big 12 tournament.”

Oklahoma State was buoyed by Tenin Magassa, who, after only playing 11 minutes in the teams’ first meeting, recorded 20 points and 16 rebounds for a crucial double-double as she took over down low. The Cowgirls also struggled with shooting, going 5-for-23 from behind the three-point line, but were able to rely on their offense inside to get things done in a low-scoring contest.

Kansas’ shooting woes started early, with Oklahoma State outshooting the Jayhawks to take an early 15-7 lead, as Nichols was the only Kansas player to score more than one basket. While the offensive end wasn’t clicking, the Jayhawks did force four turnovers and block two shots to keep the game within reach.

A field goal drought that started with six minutes left in the first continued, as an 11-1 run by the Cowgirls got them out to a 17-7 lead. Nichols finally ended this drought after nine minutes, battling through a couple of defenders and finishing a three-point play. The Cowgirls retook a nine-point lead, but after a media timeout, Kansas’ offense put on a great run, as Laia Conesa started with a smooth turnaround jumper before Papadopoulou sank two of her own to make it a 19-17 game. After another defensive shutdown, Copeland tied the game at 19 with a layup. The Cowgirls got the ball with five seconds to go and Micah Gray drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give them a 22-19 lead going into the break.

Gray and Magassa led Oklahoma State at the break with eight points apiece. Stailee Heard went scoreless in 13 minutes of play in the first half. Nichols was Kansas’ leader with seven points as Conesa collected an impressive five rebounds and three assists in the half.

Opening the second half just as she closed the first, Gray hit another 3 to give the Cowgirls a six-point lead. Kansas held steady before Conesa hit a beautiful turnaround jumper to make it a one-point game. On its next possession, Brittany Harshaw scored her first points of the night on a 3-pointer to give the Jayhawks a 33-31 lead for their first of the game. The Cowgirls answered with a six-point run before Conesa went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line to make it a three-point margin heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Oklahoma State used a hot start to the fourth to get back out to an eight-point lead as Kansas’ shooting woes continued. Nichols finally recorded the first field goal for the Jayhawks four minutes into the quarter after rebounding her own miss and hitting a straightaway three on the next possession to make it 44-42. Heard answered with only her second field goal of the game to put the Cowgirls up five before Nadira Eltayeb recorded back-to-back and-one opportunities, which amounted to five points to tie the game at 49.

Heard came up clutch once again to retake the lead, as Nichols returned the favor with a layup off a baseline inbounds play, forcing Oklahoma State to call timeout. After an impressive and gritty run to tie things with 2:04 to play, the Jayhawks ran out of steam, as four straight misses and a turnover by Papadopoulou led to Gray’s game-sealing free throws to cap off the season-ending match for both teams with a 57-51 Cowgirls victory.

“We know that it’s obviously been a rough season, especially in our conference, but at the end of the day, we know we can play with anybody who’s in our conference,” Nichols said postgame, as the Jayhawks were able to hang with the third-place team in the conference for 37 minutes. “I can say something about this team is that we don’t ever feel down about anything. So, I wouldn’t even call (the game) a (confidence) boost. I would just say that we have our eyes forward every single time.”

The Jayhawks will look to take this mentality and momentum into the Big 12 Conference Tournament, which starts on Wednesday. Kansas will finish as the No. 11 team in the conference, setting it up for an 8 p.m. matchup against Texas Tech at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jayhawks previously beat the Lady Raiders 57-50 at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 29.