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

Kansas forward Jaliya Davis celebrates making a basket while being fouled against Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City, Mo. — Kansas women’s basketball took down the Missouri Tigers 82-77 in a tense and action-packed rivalry clash on Saturday evening at the T-Mobile Center.

The matchup was the first in regular-season play between the two schools since February 18, 2012.

“It’s an important game for our school, the city of Lawrence, for the state and obviously for our alumni base,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “We knew both teams were going to compete really hard. I thought both teams had stretches where they played really well and then didn’t play so well, but that’s part of it being mid-November.”

The Jayhawks were led in scoring by senior guard Elle Evans and junior guard S’Mya Nichols, both of whom finished the night with 20 points. Evans also had four of Kansas’ six 3-point baskets on Saturday and started the game 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

“I thought some veterans really stepped up, in particular, Elle Evans,” Schneider said. “Elle played as strong and as tough today as she has all season and it’s nice to see her and Sania Copeland who, they’ve been in some scrapes, and I thought they really stepped up and ignited that run (to end the first half).”

The run that Schneider referenced was a 22-11 run that the Jayhawks went on to end the first half of action without the assistance of their junior guard and team leader Nichols, who was in foul trouble.

The game had added meaning for Copeland, who is from Kansas City, Kansas, and attended high school at Olathe North.

“It feels special,” Copeland said. “This is more than just a game to us Kansas kids. I’m glad that I got to do this with my teammates for my last senior year.”

The Jayhawks started the game hot, leading 7-2 after Evans drained her first 3-point basket of the evening. But an energized Missouri team fired back and battled with Kansas. Heading into the second quarter, the Jayhawks held a 21-17 lead.

Missouri hung with Kansas and battled for the first two minutes of the second quarter, but after freshman guard Libby Fandel made the first three of her college career, the Jayhawks went on the aforementioned run that sent Kansas into halftime with a 49-39 advantage.

Kansas finished the first half 20-for-31 from the field for an incredible 64.5% shooting percentage but still took just a 10-point lead into the locker room.

Out of halftime, it was Missouri that had the hot hand. Kansas was 1-for-6 from the field to start the second, while the Tigers were 4-for-6. That stretch brought Missouri to within one of the Jayhawks, and the Tigers kept the pressure on.

After a missed layup by Nichols, Missouri took the ball the length of the court and Saniah Tyler drained a 3-point basket to give the Tigers their first lead since the first quarter at 59-56.

“I thought our execution in the first half was really good and unfortunately in the third quarter, especially in the first five minutes, we got really stagnant,” Schneider said. “Mizzou played a lot of zone and we didn’t move the ball, we didn’t cut hard, we weren’t aggressive off the bounce, we let it lull us to sleep a little bit, but I think in that media timeout in the third quarter, I thought we snapped out.”

Kansas was able to get it going at the end of the third quarter with eight points in the final 2:13 and the Jayhawks took a 66-62 lead into the final quarter of play.

The fourth started much like the third, with Missouri getting off to a strong start and drawing even with KU. But the Jayhawks also found another gear and were able to trade blows with the Tigers.

Halfway through the final quarter, Kansas clung to a five-point advantage, and out of the under-five media timeout, the Jayhawks were able to build on that lead and keep their distance from the Tigers until the final buzzer.

After the game, Schneider talked about the future of the series between the two schools.

“It’s something that I would be open to,” Schneider said of potentially extending the series. “I think it’s an opportunity that the players need. We spoke to our players- we’ve only played Mizzou one time since 2012 (the 2023 WNIT) and we should cherish that opportunity because not every young woman who comes through our program has gotten to do it. I think it’d be great for the players.”

Kansas now sets its sights on another power conference team, this time the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The game will be played at Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, and tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.