LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind 22 points from freshman S’Mya Nichols and seven fourth-quarter points from super-senior Holly Kersgieter, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated No. 10 Kansas State by a score of 58-55 before a crowd of 9,007 at Allen Fieldhouse Sunday afternoon.
Kansas trailed 51-47 with 4:36 to play, but used an 11-1 to take the lead and closed the game by outscoring the Wildcats 11-4 to secure the victory.
With the win, Kansas improves to 16-11 overall and 9-7 in Big 12 play, which includes a 5-1 record in its last six outings. The Jayhawks are now 12-1 this season at Allen Fieldhouse and have won 20 of their last 21 home games, dating back to last season.
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The win is KU’s second over a top 10 opponent this season, after the Jayhawks previously defeated then-No. 4 Baylor, 87-66, on Jan. 10 at Allen Fieldhouse. This marks the first time since 2000 that the Jayhawks have defeated two top 10 teams in the same season.
Three players finished with double figures for Kansas, who was led by 22 from Nichols on 8-of-16 shooting. Taiyanna Jackson had 11 points, seven rebounds and eight blocked shots – one off her career high and the single-game school record. Kersgieter added 10 points and seven rebounds and was KU’s closer with seven points in the fourth quarter.
“That was an incredible atmosphere for college basketball,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said after the game. “Kansas State is a very good team, but I thought we really stuck together, never fragmented and had some players step up and make plays in big moments to help us win the game.”
Jackson started off scoring by running the length of the court and being rewarded with a fast break layup on an assist by Holly Kersgieter. Kansas nailed all three of its three-point attempts in the first quarter, as Wyvette Mayberry, Zakiyah Franklin, and Nichols each knocked down one in the quarter. Another Jackson fast-break layup forced K-State to call a time with a little over two minutes left in the first frame, with the Jayhawks leading 17-6.
The Wildcats went on a 9-2 run to shrink the Kansas lead to just four at the quarter break. This marks the second-highest-scoring quarter by the Jayhawks against a conference opponent this season since the 22 first quarter points against Cincinnati. Nichols was just a point short of double-digits as she collected nine points heading into the second quarter.
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Kersgieter hit her own three-pointer to start the second-quarter scoring, making KU four-for-four from beyond the arc. Kansas State stormed back and took its first lead of the game with 5:21 left in the second quarter. KSU’s lead got to 28-22 before KU junior Skyler Gill’s personal 4-0 run brought it back within a bucket. KU rounded out the quarter with a Franklin dish to junior Danai Papadopoulou to end the first half down 30-28, with seven different players contributing points in the box score.
Jackson earned her fifth block of the game, a rebound, and a bucket, all within 10 seconds for KU’s first points of the second half. Six-straight Nichols’ points, another Mayberry three-pointer and a Jackson jumper tied it up at 41-41 at the under-five media timeout. Nichols hit a free throw, and KSU scored another basket with the Jayhawks down a point, 42-43, going into the final frame of action.
Both squads traded off scoring in the fourth quarter, with Kansas State maintaining the upper edge before a 4-0 Kansas run tied it up 51-all with 3:31 left to play. Kersgieter nailed a jumper just in time to beat the shot clock to give Kansas its first lead of the quarter at 53-51. Kersgieter closed out KU’s scoring by going 3-4 from the line as Kansas completed a 11-1 run in 3:54 minutes of action. The Jayhawks held the Wildcats without a field goal for over four minutes before KSU hit a three with 12 seconds left to bring it to a final score of 58-55.
Next Up
The Jayhawks are on the road for the final time in the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 28, with their first trip to Orlando, Florida, to face Big 12 newcomer UCF. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast in Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – On Wednesday, a Kansas City jury sided with a former communications director over being forced out by city manager Brian Platt. A day later, Platt has been suspended.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced on Thursday evening that he had suspended Platt with pay, effective immediately.
FILE — Kansas City Manager Brian Platt.(Free to use)
A dayslong trial ended with the jury taking the side of former Kansas City Communications Director Chris Hernandez and awarded him $700,000.
A lawsuit centered on whether City Manager Brian Platt told staff to lie to the media – and to the public – in 2022. Hernandez said he was demoted when he pushed back.
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In March 2024, Platt signed a nearly 4.5-year contract extension after he dropped out of the race for Austin, Texas, City Manager.
Lucas relayed that he was temporarily appointing Deputy City Manager Kimiko Gilmore as interim city manager.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
The parents of two of three deceased Kansas City Chiefs fans, whose bodies were found frozen in a friend’s backyard, expressed mixed feelings following the arrests of two men charged with manslaughter on Wednesday.
Ricky Johnson Jr., 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found dead in their pal Jordan Willis’ backyard on Jan. 9, 2024.
Harrington’s mom, Theresa, claimed she’s been kept out of the loop in the 14 months since the trio’s bodies were discovered.
David Harrington with his father, Jon Harrington. Facebook / Theresa Harrington
“They wouldn’t tell me anything,” she told the Daily Mail.
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She said Kansas police officials continuously stated they weren’t investigating the deaths as homicides.
“[The statements] made it easy to think they had already made up their mind and there wouldn’t be any further investigation,” Harrington added, saying she pushed away any hope for criminal charges.
On Wednesday, Platte County prosecutors charged Willis and another man, Ivory Carson, each with three counts of manslaughter and two counts of delivering a controlled substance.
Johnson’s father, Rick, has since vowed to attend each hearing involving Willis and Carson.
“I am happy with the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department for filling charges,” he told Fox 4 Kansas City. “It’s been a long time. And I’ll be at every court date.”
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David Harrington, Claytoon McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead at Jordan Willis’ home on Jan. 9, 2024. Ricky Johnson / FacebookDavid Harrington’s parents, Theresa and Jon. Facebook / Theresa Harrington
The trio’s bodies were found on Willis’ property by McGenney’s fiancée two days after they gathered to watch the Chiefs’ final regular season game.
They died from a deadly cocktail of fentanyl and cocaine, Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd revealed during a press conference streamed on KMBC.
Willis, an HIV researcher, claims he went to bed in the early hours of Jan. 8 and didn’t know the three men were outside.
He also claimed he didn’t hear the relatives of the men knocking on his door before their bodies were discovered because he was wearing headphones.
Police recovered two bags of drugs, one containing cocaine, the other fentanyl.
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DNA samples from the bag of cocaine were mostly from Willis, while Carson’s DNA was found all over the bag of fentanyl, Zahnd said Wednesday.
Police say they found texts on Willis’ phone alleging Carson supplied David Harrington with cocaine. Carson later admitted selling cocaine to the trio.
“Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to the deaths of his three friends,” Willis’ attorney John Picerno told the Kansas City Star after the arrest. “We are very much looking forward to the day a jury gets to hear all of the evidence in this case.”
Jordan Willis was charged with involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance. Platte County Sheriff’s OfficeIvory Carson and Willis were booked into Platte County Jail Wednesday and held on $100,000 bonds. Platte County Sheriff’s Office
The arrests did little to clear any speculation surrounding the deaths.
“[I] still don’t know anything about how my son died or his last moments,” Harrington said.
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The grieving mother isn’t convinced any outcome in the mystery will come soon, claiming the trial won’t start for more than a year.
Police say they found texts on Willis’ phone alleging Carson supplied David Harrington with cocaine. Family Handout
Theresa Harrington had acknowledged her son’s drug use but believed he didn’t do it to harm himself.
“He didn’t take that to die,” she told NewsNations’ Chris Cuomo in February 2024. “If he took the drugs on his own, he took them to get high. It just means that there’s more to the story, there’s more to it than just that.”
Harrington assured her son wasn’t a drug addict and pointed blame at “peer pressure.”
Police recovered two bags of drugs from Willis’ house, one containing cocaine, the other fentanyl. LP Media
Willis and Carson are being held at the Platte County Jail on $100,000 bonds each.
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No court hearings were scheduled for the two men following their arrest Wednesday afternoon.
CINCINNATI (AP) — David N’Guessan had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Dug McDaniel added 13 points, and Kansas State defeated Cincinnati 54-49 on Wednesday night.
N’Guessan scored eight points and McDaniel scored six in a key stretch of the second half in which K-State (15-15, 9-10 Big 12) outscored Cincinnati 14-8 to build a seven-point lead. The run culminated in a layup and a jumper by N’Guessan and a jumper from McDaniel to give the Wildcats a 52-45 lead with four minutes remaining.
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The Wildcats cooled off and their next four possessions resulted in a turnover and three missed shots while two baskets by Jizzle James got Cincinnati within 52-49.
Kansas State finally scored again when Brendan Hausen made two free throws for a 54-49 lead with 22 seconds left. Cincinnati missed a 3-pointer, N’Guessan missed the front end of the bonus, and Cincinnati missed another 3-pointer as time ran out.
Cincinnati led by seven with 14 1/2 minutes left in the second half before Kansas State’s 8-0 run gave the Wildcats a 36-35 lead with 12 minutes remaining, their first lead since 4-2.
Day Day Thomas had 12 points and James 10 for Cincinnati (17-13, 7-12).
Kansas State has won back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 8 and 11.
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With one game left in the regular season, Kansas State is tied with West Virginia and TCU for eighth place. Cincinnati and UCF are tied for 12th.
Kansas State hosts No. 10 Iowa State on Saturday. Cincinnati visits Oklahoma State, also on Saturday.
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