KU Athletics
Kansas scored the first 11 points and never looked back on its way to a 75-52 victory over Arizona State on Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Elle Evans led the Jayhawks with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, marking the second straight 20-point game for Evans and her fourth of the season. Regan Williams finished two rebounds shy of a double-double, totaling 13 points and eight rebounds. Brittany Harshaw scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds and Laia Conesa had 11 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
The Jayhawks pulled down 37 rebounds, its most in a conference game this season, while forcing 20 turnovers and outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. Kansas shot 47.5 percent from the field, hitting 28-of-59 field goal attempts while limiting ASU to 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting.
With the win, Kansas improves to 12-5 on the year and 2-4 in Big 12 play. Arizona State drops to 8-10 and 2-4 in conference play.
"Going into the game we just really settled in on trying to protect the paint," Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider said. "Prior to tonight, we were giving up layups and threes, and sometimes you have to pick your poison, and we chose to just do a much better job protecting the paint. But I also thought Regan Williams post defense was exceptional, just really active and made it much harder for them to catch."
The Jayhawks started the first quarter with an 11-0 run to take control from the outset. Arizona State called an early timeout in an attempt to disrupt the Jayhawks' strong momentum, but Kansas held ASU scoreless for half of the quarter. Although the Sun Devils managed to find a basket late in the first and cut into KU's lead, the Jayhawks closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws by Sania Copeland to lead 20-9.
Williams scored KU's first five points of the second frame and KU's lead stood at 10, 25-15, after a pair of ASU three-pointers. Kansas continued to dominate on offense, using a 16-3 run over five minutes to build the lead to 38-20.
Kansas took control during this stretch as Harshaw and Evans hit key three-pointers to push the lead to 14. Evans followed with two additional three-pointers and a jumper, extending the advantage to 21. Kansas' defense held strong, keeping ASU scoreless for 5:25 while quick transitions helped the Jayhawks take a commanding 41-23 lead into halftime.
The second half opened with Kansas maintaining control through strong defense, forcing multiple ASU turnovers. While the Jayhawks missed a few early shots, Conesa and Nadira Eltayeb added baskets of their own to extend the lead to 20 at 45-25.
Although Arizona State went on a brief scoring run, Kansas remained in control heading into the media timeout. In the final minute of the third quarter, Williams scored the last two baskets pushing the Jayhawks ahead 52-39 heading into the final frame.
Kansas outscored ASU 23-12 in the last ten minutes as the Jayhawks went on a decisive 14-1 scoring run that spanned almost six minutes with Evans contributing six points and Conesa adding four en route to the 75-52 victory.
Up Next
Kansas completes its weekend home stand on Sunday, Jan. 19, when the Jayhawks welcome Arizona to Allen Fieldhouse. That game is set for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN+.
Postgame Notes
- Kansas' 11 point, 20-9, advantage over Arizona State is the largest first quarter lead it has had over an opponent this season.
- Kansas tied its season high with six blocked shots, including two apiece from Sania Copeland and Elle Evans each supplying two.
- Four Jayhawks finished in double figures as Evans led with 22 followed by Regan Williams (13), Brittany Harshaw (12) and Laia Conesa (11). The last time Kansas had four players score in double figures was against Kansas City on Dec. 11, 2024.
- Kansas grabbed 37 rebounds, the most in a conference game this season, while outscoring Arizona State 30-14 in the paint. The Jayhawk defense also forced 20 turnovers which led to 20 points off turnovers.