photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas guard Elle Evans holds her follow-through after a shot over Houston's Jade Jones during the Jayhawks' game against Houston on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

After its comeback bid fell just short last Tuesday on the road, Kansas women’s basketball bounced back with an 85-68 win over the last-place Houston Cougars on Saturday evening.

The Jayhawks had four players finish in double-digit scoring, with freshman forward Jaliya Davis leading the way with 25 points and junior guard S’Mya Nichols adding 22 more. Senior guard Elle Evans contributed 18 points and finished 4-for-7 from 3-point range and senior forward Lilly Meister recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

For Meister and Evans, Saturday marked the second-to-last game for both in Allen Fieldhouse, with Senior Day closing out the season next Wednesday. Evans said it means a lot to have a performance like she did as she draws closer to concluding her Jayhawk career.

“I credit a lot of that so much to my teammates because a lot of my 3’s are assisted, and I think that showed,” Evans said. “I mean, S’Mya had nine assists tonight, which is a crazy number, so obviously credit to them and obviously, when Brandon (Schneider) knows I’m hot, he’ll call my number.”

Kansas started slow in the first half, only outscoring the conference’s worst offense by four in the first quarter and one in the second quarter before pulling away after halftime.

“I thought the slow start was, defensively we had some breakdowns early and let their best 3-point threats get too many looks in the first half,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. “I thought we shortened some things up and to hold them to 32% in the second half was much better.”

Houston struck first with a layup on its opening possession to take an early edge but a bucket from Davis knotted the score at 2-2. The two teams traded blows through the first five minutes, with the Cougars taking a 12-9 advantage into the under-five timeout after a 6-0 run propelled them into the lead.

Out of the break, Kansas took control. Two 3-point makes by Evans and a flurry of points from Nichols sent the Jayhawks into the second quarter with a 22-18 lead.

Kansas outscored Houston 13-6 over the final five minutes of the first.

The Cougars drew within two points early and then forced four turnovers from Kansas over the next two minutes to grab the lead back. However, that didn’t last long, as a 3-pointer from junior guard Laia Conesa gave the Jayhawks a 29-27 edge heading into the midway timeout in the second.

The momentum swung Kansas’ way after the timeout, with the Jayhawks’ lead increasing to nine before Houston cut it to five ahead of halftime. The final five minutes were chippy, with Davis and Houston senior guard TK Pitts being warned by an official and Schneider audibly frustrated with the officiating after Nichols went down hard during a play on which he wanted a foul called.

Kansas was able to take a 41-36 lead into halftime, with Davis leading the way with 16 points.

The two teams combined 7-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half.

Nichols opened the scoring in the second half with an and-1 layup but had to leave the game just over a minute in after she reaggravated a right ankle injury that has plagued her for the past month.

In her absence, the Jayhawks were able to keep the Cougars at bay. A fast=break layup by freshman guard Libby Fandel and 3s by senior guard Sania Copeland and Evans forced a Houston timeout with Kansas leading 54-43.

Evans added her fourth 3-pointer after the break and sent the Jayhawks into the under-five timeout with a 57-45 edge.

Nichols returned in the final minutes of the third and Kansas increased its lead to as large as 16 before a 9-0 run by the Cougars made things tighter. Nichols broke the Jayhawks’ drought with a layup right before the buzzer and sent Kansas into the fourth quarter with a 63-54 lead.

The Jayhawks opened the final period with four straight makes from the field and never looked back. Kansas piled the points on in the fourth quarter, outscoring Houston 22-14 over the final 10 minutes and holding a lead as large as 22 in the waning minutes.

Davis led the Jayhawks in scoring in the fourth, finishing the quarter with eight points in just five minutes on the court.

Kansas (16-11, 6-9) will head west on Interstate 70 for its next matchup on Saturday in Manhattan against Kansas State. That game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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