LAWRENCE, Kan. – Brittany Harshaw scored a game-high 20 points, while Elle Evans and S’Mya Nichols had 16 apiece to lead the Kansas Jayhawks to an 81-54 exhibition win over Washburn on Friday evening at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas was just 1-for-15 from three-point range in the first half, but hit six in the second half to pull away for the win. The Jayhawks outscored Washburn 25-9 in the third quarter and connected on 22-of-28 (78.6 percent) free throws in the contest. KU also outrebounded Washburn 48-36, including 19 offensive rebounds, with freshman Regan Williams leading the way with 10 rebounds in her Jayhawk debut.
“I thought in the first half we just didn’t make shots, but we got the shots that we wanted,” Kansas Coach Brandon Schneider said following the game. “I thought that there were times we let that affect our energy on defense, and that’s what we talked about at halftime. Defense and rebounding are two things that have to be consistent, so we really stressed in the second half. Offensively, we focused on getting the ball in the paint more and playing inside out, which probably helped us make some shots.”
Evans opened the game with the first four points for the Jayhawks, followed by two from Sania Copeland, igniting a 6-0 run in the first quarter. KU’s defense held Washburn scoreless for 4:26, establishing early control of the game and holding an 8-5 lead before the first media timeout. In a low-scoring first quarter on both ends of the court, Kansas became the first to reach double digits off a pair of free throws from Williams at the 2:29 mark. An 8-0 Kansas run stretched out its lead to 18-11 going into the second quarter.
Kansas opened the second quarter with a strong offensive push, as Williams scored on a pick-and-roll play to start the scoring from an assist from Nichols. Harshaw then capitalized on an offensive rebound, sinking it for two, and followed it up with back-to-back baskets, extending the Jayhawks’ lead to 24-15 at the 7:47 mark. A 5-0 run capped off with Nichols completing a traditional three-point play forced Washburn to call its first timeout of the game with less than three minutes to play in the half.
With 1:33 left in the half, Kansas kept up the momentum as Nichols sank a jumper to beat the shot clock buzzer. Moments later, Evans drilled a corner three, and Wyvette Mayberry capped off the scoring with a tightly contested shot with three seconds remaining, pushing Kansas to a 39-27 lead at halftime.
Kansas started the second half with a powerful 7-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from Mayberry, a steal from Evans leading to a Harshaw layup, and another basket from Nichols. The momentum continued as Harshaw sank a three, followed quickly by Nadira Eltayeb’s layup with an assist from Nichols, and then a three from Copeland. Harshaw capped off the scoring surge with another three-pointer, giving Kansas three consecutive three-pointers in under two minutes as the lead ballooned to 57-33.
As time expired in the third quarter, freshman Zoe Canfield scored her first points in a Kansas uniform as she drained a three off an assist from Harshaw, putting the Jayhawks ahead 64-36 at the end of the third quarter.
Harshaw scored five straight points to begin the final quarter. She sank her third three-pointer of the night, then completed a fast break layup off a Nichols steal. Her run eventually turned into a 10-0 Kansas run as Evans finished off the and-one opportunity to push the Kansas lead over 30 points at 72-41. Kansas held strong in the final minutes, capitalizing on key free throws and defensive rebounds to maintain their lead and close out the game with a dominant 81-54 victory.
Up Next
Kansas opens the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, Nov. 6, against Lindenwood in a game that will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The game begins a streak of four-straight games that the Jayhawks will play at Allen Fieldhouse to open the season.
