LAWRENCE, Kan. – Fueled by a 14-0 run to open the second half and a strong defensive performance, the Kansas Jayhawks rolled to a 66-48 victory over Omaha in the season opener on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Jaliya Davis led all scorers with 20 points on Tuesday night, adding eight rebounds and a career-high five blocks. Davis was joined in double-figures by S’Mya Nichols with 17 points and Regan Williams with 13. Williams also tallied nine rebounds to lead all players.
“We played great defense throughout the entire game, which allowed us to get out in transition and execute our offense effectively,” Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. “We were much more connected defensively and did a better job of staying disciplined and executing our assignments throughout the game.”
With the win, Kansas improves to 1-0 while recording their 10th straight opening night victory, improving to 48-11 all-time in season openers. Omaha falls to 0-1 on the season.
The Jayhawks and Mavericks battled back-and-forth in the early moments, trading baskets that left Omaha in front by one at the first quarter media timeout, 9-8. Kansas’ offense hummed to life out of the timeout with a 6-0 run that quickly forced an Omaha timeout as the Jayhawks took a 14-9 lead. Omaha then responded with the next five points to tie the game before a pair of Nichols free throws allowed KU to take a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Omaha took the lead before Nichols tallied a three-point play that tied the game at 20 with 7:41 to go in the half. Nichols’ score sparked an eventual 8-3 Kansas run that put the Jayhawks ahead 25-23 halfway through the quarter. Kansas’ defense then quieted Omaha throughout the rest of the quarter, forcing a three-minute scoring drought and tallying four turnovers, allowing the Jayhawks to build a halftime advantage of 34-28.
Kansas’ offense was quick to the attack in the second half, opening the third quarter with an 8-0 burst that grew the Jayhawks’ lead to 14 and forced an Omaha timeout after less than three minutes of action. That run grew out of the timeout, with more strong defense from the Jayhawks, climbing to a 14-0 surge that pushed Kansas ahead 48-28 with 3:51 left in the third. It would take until the 2:50 mark of the quarter for the Mavericks to tally their first basket of the half, halting a 16-0 Kansas run. After three quarters, the Jayhawks led by 22, 55-33.
Kansas’ defense again stifled Omaha in the early moments of the fourth, following up a five-point third quarter by allowing only eight points in the first five minutes of the quarter. Exiting the final media timeout, Kansas wound down the closing moments of the game to wrap up an eventual 66-48 win.
Kansas is back at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 6, with an early tipoff time for education day as the Jayhawks host Drake at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes
- Kansas won its 10th-straight season opener and improved to 48-11 all-time in season openers
- S’Mya Nichols made her 100th career start and totaled 17 points while hitting 9-of-10 free throw attempts. Nichols has now made 636 free throws in her career, surpassing Lauren Heard (2018-22) of TCU for fifth in Big 12 Conference history.
- Jaliya Davis led the Jayhawks with 20 points and eight rebounds, while also setting a new career high with five blocked shots. This is the 16th career game of 20+ points for Davis, and she becomes the first Jayhawk with 5+ blocked shots in a game since Taiyanna Jackson had eight against Kansas State on Feb. 25, 2024.
- Led by Davis, Kansas had seven blocked shots in the win, which is the program’s most since recording eight against Cincinnati on Feb. 7, 2026.
- Regan Williams recorded her 25th career double-digit scoring performance with 13 points and nine rebounds, finishing one shy of a double-double.
- Kansas extended its non-conference home winning streak to 44 consecutive games, dating back to Dec. 2020.