Kansas women’s basketball advances in WBIT with comeback win over Troy

S’Mya Nichols erupted for 31 points and Jaliya Davis added 21 points, eight rebounds as the Kansas women’s basketball team advanced past Troy in the first round of the WBIT.

The Jayhawks trailed by five both at the half and entering the fourth quarter, but they won the final period by 14 points to escape with a 79-70 victory at Allen Fieldhouse.

“We struggled to make shots in the first half in particular, mainly because we had poor shot selection with no paint touches,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “In the second half, we did a much better job against the press, and I thought S’Mya did a really good job of controlling tempo and getting us into the right stuff.”

Nichols scored 13 of her points in seven fourth-quarter minutes. Davis added seven points in that time, with the pair shooting 5-for-6 from the field, 8-for-10 from the line in the period.

Nichols also hit two 3s in the fourth quarter. One of them was an ankle-breaking step-back 3 that made rounds on social media. She finished 5-for-5 from 3 and 16-for-18 from the free-throw line.

“It’s just what she does. It’s unbelievable how she can draw fouls and create contact,” Schneider said of Nichols, who is KU’s all-time leader with 613 made free throws. “She’s so strong and skilled. It’s a real strength of hers, and she’s going to shatter records that I don’t know how anybody would ever touch them. It’s unbelievable, especially at a guard position.”

While the Jayhawks (20-13) had no other double-digit scorers — or even any additional scorers above six points — they did get plenty of help from the supporting cast. Nine different players contributed a made basket, while Laia Conesa (four points, 12 rebounds) and Regan Williams (four points, six rebounds) chipped in 18 rebounds off the bench.

Six different Jayhawks recorded at least one steal.

Interesting enough, the Jayhawks were outscored in several crucial areas, including points in the paint (32-28), points off turnovers (18-10) and fast-break points (15-12).

But the Jayhawks went 24-for-34 at the free-throw line, compared to 14-for-19 by Troy. And KU held the visitors to 36.2% shooting overall, 22.2% from 3.

KU shot just shy of 43% from the field and 32% from 3.

The Jayhawks pulled away with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. That stretch turned a 56-53 deficit at the 7:45 mark into a 63-56 lead with 5:10 to play. Nichols made five free throws during that time, with Williams adding a layup and Libby Fandel hitting a 3.

The No. 2-seeded Jayhawks advance to face No. 3 seed Rice on Sunday, March 22 (ESPN+), at Allen Fieldhouse.

This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 9:49 PM.