MANHATTAN, Kan. – Led by four players in double figures, Kansas claimed the Dillons Sunflower Showdown sweep over Kansas State with a 75-68 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
The Jayhawks improved to 17-11 (7-9 Big 12) and were led by 17 points from junior S’Mya NIchols. Nichols was joined in double figures scoring by freshman Jaliya Davis (16), sophomore Regan Williams (16) and Lilly Meister (14) as Kansas won its sixth game in its last nine, while claiming its first Dillons Sunflower Showdown sweep since 2013.
Kansas State falls to 15-14 (8-8 Big 12) this season.
“I think we did a much better job of taking care of the ball in the second half,” head coach Brandon Schneider said. “I thought we really rebounded well all night and we were able to get the free throw battle under control in the second half as well.”
Kansas opened the game by hitting its first six field goal attempts of the game, building a five-point edge on two occasions, including at 12-7 after Davis connected on a short jump shot. KSU answered with four-straight points, closing to within one at 12-11 before Williams scored KU’s final seven points of the quarter to give Kansas a 19-15 edge at the end of one.
Davis scored the first three points of the second quarter before Laia Conesa got a steal and went the length of the court to score and put KU up 24-18 at the 7:00 mark. Williams connected on another basket and Meister hit back-to-back baskets, including a three, as the Jayhawks took a 31-19 lead, forcing KSU to take a timeout with 4:05 to play in the half. Williams again scored, pushing the lead to 14 with 3:06 to play in the half, but the Jayhawks were held scoreless the rest of the half while KSU closed on a 14-0 run to even the score at 33-33 heading into halftime.
The score was tied twice more early in the third quarter before Kansas State took their first lead of the game at 39-37 after a pair of free throws at the 5:32 mark. Davis and Nichols combined to score the next six points as Kansas regained the lead, 43-41. After two more ties, Williams and Nichols scored the next three points at the stripe, which allowed KU to carry a 48-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
Kansas scored the first five points of the fourth and opened on a 7-3 run to extend its lead to 55-50 as Nichols scored on a drive to the basket with 7:18 to play. K-State would draw to within one point with just over four minutes remaining, before Kansas went on a 6-0 run to build its lead to 68-61 with 3:10 to go.
The Jayhawks would finish off the Wildcats down the stretch, outscoring the Wildcats 27-21 in the fourth quarter to take the 75-68 win.
NOTES
- Kansas earns its second straight win, improving to 17-11 on the year and 7-9 in Big 12 play with two games remaining in the regular season.
- The Jayhawks claimed their first win over Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum since 2019, snapping a streak of six-straight defeats. KU previously defeated the Wildcats 83-61 on Jan. 25 in Lawrence, so Saturday’s win also completes a regular season sweep for Kansas over Kansas State. Kansas records its first season sweep of Kansas State since 2012-13.
- Kansas improves to 53-82 all-time against KSU and 17-40 all-time in Manhattan.
- Kansas freshman Jaliya Davis scored 16 points on 5-of-7 from the floor, as she has scored in double figures in all 17 games that she has played in this season.
- Sophomore Regan Williams scored 16 points, giving her double-digit scoring efforts in two of the last three games, including her ninth game this season. Williams’ outing was her best scoring performance in conference play this season.
- Senior Sania Copeland was 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, giving her two straight games with a made 3-pointer for the first time this season.
- Senior Lilly Meister scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, marking her fourth game in double figures in the last five games, including her 13th double digit scoring effort this season.