LAWRENCE, Kan. – All eight players who saw action for Kansas scored at least six points as the Jayhawks defeated Omaha 75-56 on Thursday evening at Allen Fieldhouse.
S’Mya Nichols led the Jayhawks with 16 points, five rebounds and a career-high nine assists, while Sania Copeland chipped in 12 points and Elle Evans scored a season-high 10. Nadira Eltayeb, Zoe Canfield and Carla Osma combined for 23 points, helping KU to an eight-point advantage in bench points, and Kansas hit a season-high 11 three-pointers while holding Omaha to 5-of-12 shooting from long range.
“I don’t know if we had 23 points off the bench all last year, so that’s a positive,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said following the win. “We still were a little sloppy and had some turnovers that we shouldn’t commit, but we got contributions from everybody who played and that’s good to see this time of year.”
Kansas, now 3-0 on the year, opened the first quarter by scoring the first four points, holding Omaha scoreless for nearly five minutes. The Jayhawks soon found their offensive rhythm with back-to-back baskets, including a three-point basket from Canfield and an open-look layup by Nichols, giving Kansas a 9-2 advantage heading into the first media timeout.
Out of the media timeout, Kansas extended its lead with a three-pointer by Laia Conesa, bringing the score to 12-2. Omaha responded with five quick points, cutting Kansas’ lead to five. Nichols would close the quarter with a layup, building the Jayhawks lead 16-9.
In the second quarter, Evans scored five straight points to give Kansas its first double-digit lead of the game at 21-9. After a pair of free throws by Omaha cut Kansas’s lead to 10, the Jayhawks quickly responded with a layup made by Regan Williams.
The Mavericks struggled to capitalize on their possessions, as KU’s defense forced several missed shots, while Kansas added two free throws by Nichols and a fast-break three-pointer by Canfield pushing the score to 30-18. Kansas would go into halftime with a favorable 34-22 lead.
The Jayhawks came out strong in the second half with a 7-0 run, as Williams scored a pair and Eltayeb added four points of her own. Omaha struggled to break their scoring drought, and after an Evans free throw extended Kansas’ lead to 44-24, the Mavericks were forced to call a timeout. The Jayhawks continued the offensive surge as Osma hit back-to-back three-pointers in under a minute, pushing the lead to 51-34 with 2:46 left in the third.
Kansas closed the quarter with a strong push, highlighted by a three-pointer from Copeland and a putback by Williams to keep Kansas in command at 58-38. Despite a late jumper by Omaha, the Jayhawks closed the quarter with a substantial 18-point lead.
Early in the fourth, Kansas extended their lead to 20, and the Mavericks responded with two three-pointers trimming Kansas’ advantage to 14. After a media timeout, Copeland hit a three, pushing Kansas up 64-46 with 6:36 left in the quarter. The Jayhawks maintained a strong lead, adding key plays from Osma and Copeland, who each hit a three-pointer, extending the lead to 70-50 at the 3:40 mark.
Omaha tried to respond, but Kansas controlled the defensive side, forcing missed shots and turnovers. As a result, the Jayhawks held their steady lead and closed out the game with a 75-56 victory.
Up Next
Kansas concludes its four-game home stand on Sunday, Nov. 17, against North Alabama with tip off scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and streaming available on ESPN+.
Postgame Notes
Team
– Kansas improves to 3-0 on the year for the third time in the past four seasons and the sixth time in 10 seasons under Brandon Schneider.
– The Jayhawks improve to 7-3 all-time against Omaha with three consecutive wins over the Mavericks.
– The win is the 11th consecutive win for Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, while the Jayhawks improve to 16-1 on their home court since the start of the 2023-24 season.
– Kansas has now won 26 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
– Kansas’ largest lead of the game was 20 points on several occasions in the second half, matching the Jayhawks’ largest of the season.
– The Jayhawks had 11 three pointers in a game for the first time since March 20, 2023 against Missouri.
– All eight Jayhawks who entered the game scored at least six points.
– Kansas went 11-21 from beyond the arc for 52.4%.
– Kansas’ bench unit was able to score a season-high 23 bench points, led by Carla Osma with 9 points.
Individual
– Sophomore guard S’Mya Nichols dished out a career-high nine assists vs. Omaha, including her 100th career assist in the first quarter after a pass to Canfield led to an open three pointer. Nichols finished with 16 points, her 32nd game scoring in double figures in 36 career games.
– Sophomore guard Laia Conesa made her first career start as a Jayhawk, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds.
– Freshman guard Zoe Canfield made her first career appearance and hit two threes for her six points on the night.
– Senior forward Nadira Eltayeb tied her career high in rebounds with eight.
– Junior guard Sania Copeland scored her 300th career point with a free throw in the third quarter and shot 4-6 from the field, including 3-4 from the three, to end the night with 12 points.
