KU Jayhawks women’s hoops team advances to WBIT semis with win vs. San Diego St.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas survives San Diego State 85-78; advances to WBIT semifinals March 30.
- Jaliya Davis scores 25 and hits clinching free throws with 23.9 seconds left.
- Jayhawks dominate paint (40 points), shoot 60% overall and 75% from three.
The motto of March is simple in college hoops: survive and advance.
The Kansas Jayhawks women’s basketball team did just that against San Diego State in a Thursday evening WBIT quarterfinal at Allen Fieldhouse, beating the Aztecs 85-78.
The ending was chaotic.
Kansas led by two points, 80-78, with 37.7 seconds remaining after San Diego State made two free throws. The shots were awarded after a flagrant-one foul call on the Jayhawks, so the Aztecs got the ball right after that.
On the ensuing possession, San Diego State’s Naomi Panganiban missed a 3-point attempt and the Jayhawks rebounded the ball. Seconds later, the Aztecs fouled KU’s Sania Copeland; she made the first and missed the second.
But KU’s Jaliya Davis collected the offense rebound and was fouled. The freshman guard from Blue Valley North made both free-throw attempts to put KU up 83-78 with 23.9 seconds left, essentially icing the game.
It wasn’t pretty, and it sure wasn’t effortless, but KU (22-13) will now face the winner of a game between BYU and Stanford in the WBIT semifinals on Monday, March 30. That game will be played at Koch Arena in Wichita.
The Jayhawks are viewing their current postseason run as a quest for redemption after missing the NCAA Tournament.
“Well, I think for us, it’s pretty evident that we are still improving,” KU coach Brandon Schneider said. “I don’t think you can ask more for anything more than that as a coach, to be playing deep into March and feel like your team is still very engaged and wants to get better and improve.”
It was the last game at Allen Fieldhouse for the Jayhawks this season. The crowd numbered just 1,379, but KU players appreciated the support nonetheless.
“It was great,” said senior Lilly Meister, who scored 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range. “I thought we had a lot of good people and a lot of good energy. They were picking us up there when we kind of hit a lull. So, I’m very thankful we had so many people show up.”
Davis led the Jayhawks with 25 points and six rebounds while junior S’Mya Nichols, who starred at Shawnee Mission West, recorded 18 points and five assists.
The Jayhawks led by four at the end of the first quarter. San Diego State stormed back in the second, but KU maintained a 45-43 lead at halftime. The Aztecc surged ahead 65-63 by end the end of the third quarter.
KU shot 60% from the field and 75% from deep. The Jayhawks dominated inside, scoring 40 points in the paint.
San Diego State shot 55% from the field, including 42% from 3-point range. The Aztecs made 11 three-pointers to KU’s six but struggled to contend with the Jayhawks down low.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 8:50 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks women’s hoops team advances to WBIT semis with win vs. San Diego St.."
