After falling to Texas, Kansas women’s basketball looks to the NCAA Tournament

Kansas women’s basketball’s Big 12 Tournament journey ended at the hands of Madison Booker and the Texas Longhorns, a 76-60 defeat that was much more hard-fought than the final score would indicate.

The Big 12 player and freshman of the year scored 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Aailyah Moore followed closely behind with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, plus 11 rebounds.

While the Kansas seniors led the way in Friday’s win over BYU, it was freshman S’Maya Nichols leading the charge in the Jayhawks’ upset bid. Nichols scored 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting, followed by Holly Kersgieter with 17 points (4-of-6 from 3).

“I think I did okay,” Nichols said. “I see I had a few turnovers, but I think I did pretty good. We didn’t come out with a win, but I feel like I played for my team and we played for each other.”

Foul trouble was a significant issue for the Jayhawks, particularly with Taiyanna Jackson. She missed most of the third quarter after collecting her fourth foul with 7:25 to go in the period. Jackson returned to action at 8:09 in the fourth, but she picked up her final foul with about five minutes left.

Jackson, who scored 12 points in Friday’s win against BYU, was held to just two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

Off the KU bench, Danai Papadopoulou was another victim of foul trouble. Making her first appearance at the 4:22 mark in the first quarter, Papadopoulou closed the first half with four fouls in 12 minutes.

“I have seen coaches being fined $20,000 for comments regarding officiating, and if the fine structure was on a sliding scale relevant to your compensation, I might have a lot more to say,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said at his postgame news conference. “I thought the first three minutes of the second half was really tough on us, with some of the foul calls. It dictated our ability to stay in any type of physical rotation.

“With that being said, Texas is just relentless, in particular on the glass. I thought that was the difference, especially in the fourth quarter, just the second-chance points (eight in the frame) really piled up on us.”

In the teams’ first meeting this season, the Longhorns decisively won, 91-56, which Schneider took note of in Friday’s postgame news conference. But he was sure to mention the growth the Jayhawks have had since the mid-January matchup, something that was evident for three quarters at the T-Mobile Center.

The Jayhawks never trailed by more than 10 in the first three quarters, and it was a five-point game headed to the fourth.

“I mean, that was the first week of January. So besides the physical part of being there, emotionally, I don’t remember. I don’t remember who we were as a team,” Kersgieter said of the first meeting. “It honestly wasn’t a big factor going into today. I think when you get to this be point in the season, none of that stuff matters anymore. I mean, it sucks because it goes on your record and things like that, but like we said, it’s March. Nothing matters anymore, and it’s a new game. We knew that, and they knew that.”

Kansas, entering halftime with a 34-29 deficit, eventually got within two of the Longhorns after Nichols took advantage of a Texas turnover and scored. The Longhorns, however, kept the pressure on Kansas, and a block from Texas’ Shay Holle prevented Nichols from tying things at 36-all.

A steal from Ryan Cobbins that turned into a Kersgieter layup in the last 90 seconds of the quarter created momentum for the Jayhawks, pulling them within three, but the Longhorns had an answer for everything that came their way; Moore closed out Texas’ third quarter with a layup on the fast break.

In the fourth quarter, the Jayhawks ran out of steam. Holle opened the frame with three consecutive shots, including two 3-pointers to put the Longhorns up 58-47. From there, Kansas never got closer than nine points.

While the loss marks the end of the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Tournament run, it certainly doesn’t signify the end of the world for Kansas — at least the Jayhawks hope so come Selection Sunday.

Last season, the Jayhawks suffered a first-round upset loss to TCU (8-23, 1-17 Big 12) in the Big 12 Tournament and missed out on the NCAA Tournament the following Selection Sunday.

This Kansas team — a year removed from winning the WNIT — is on more solid footing. The Jayhawks won nine of their last 10 before Saturday’s loss to Texas and blew out BYU, 77-53, in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

“I feel like we can compete with any team that’s in front of us,” Nichols said of the team’s NCAA tournament potential.

Saturday’s ESPN Bracketology update has Kansas projected as a No. 10 seed, set to face possible No. 7 seed North Carolina in Columbus. But, for now, the Jayhawks will await their fate until Selection Sunday on March 17.