Freshman S’Mya Nichols scores 22, leads Kansas past No. 10 Kansas State 58-55
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Freshman S’Mya Nichols scored 22 points to lead Kansas to a 58-55 win over No. 10 Kansas State on Sunday.
Taiyanna Jackson added 11 points and Holly Kersgieter scored 10 for Kansas (16-11, 9-7 Big 12), which closed out the victory with an 11-4 run and improved to 6-1 in its last seven games.
Ayoka Lee scored 14 points and Taryn Sides added 11 for Kansas State (23-5, 12-4), which has gone 3-4 in its last seven games.
Kansas State held a 51-47 advantage before Kansas started its closing run. Nichols used a spin move for an open layup to tie the game at 51 with 3:31 left.
Kersgieter hit a mid-range jumper to give Kansas the lead with 2:43 remaining. After Serena Sundell hit one of two free throws, Nichols scored to make it a three-point game, 55-52, with 2:03 remaining.
Sundell missed a contested layup on the next possession, and Kersgieter hit two free throws to give Kansas a five-point lead and added another to push the advantage to six points at 58-52 with 24.8 seconds left.
Sides hit a 3-pointer that pulled the Wildcats within 58-55, but her 3-point try at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
The third quarter ended with the Wildcats clinging to a 43-42 lead after the teams traded buckets most of the period. Nichols scored seven of Kansas’ 14 points in the third quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY:
Kansas State: The Wildcats will be tough to stop once Ayoka Lee is at full strength. Lee is still working into shape after missing multiple games due to injury.
Kansas: This might have been a victory that secured an NCAA Tournament berth for the Jayhawks, who came into the game on the bubble.
UP NEXT
Kansas State: Host Iowa State on Wednesday.
Kansas: At UCF on Wednesday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball