This one had an unpleasant air of familiarity.

During Kansas’ media day — a time to talk about last year’s failures and spread optimism for the upcoming season – the Jayhawks harped on the importance of putting teams away, not allowing them to hang around.

But against Marquette, Kansas reverted back to the very problems that players and coach Bonnie Henrickson talked so much about leaving behind. The Jayhawks let a six-point halftime lead slip away before losing to the Golden Eagles 67-57 on the road.

“It felt like they had more intensity then we had in the second half,” junior guard Danielle McCray said. “We should have brought it to them. But in the second half we were playing like we were down by six instead of up by six.”

Perhaps the most alarming and eye-popping trend against Marquette took place in the turnover column. The Jayhawks committed a season-high 28 turnovers, which the Golden Eagles converted into 29 points.

While Marquette pressed and used traps, Henrickson said that Kansas’ miscues were a result of its own sloppy play. Throughout the game, the Jayhawks struggled with everyday plays such as inbounds passes and throwing the ball to a player in the post.

Of Kansas’ 28 turnovers, the starting five committed 22.

“You can’t have 28 turnovers and expect to beat any team,” said McCray, who scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. “It was just sloppy play. Nothing was bothering us, we were just sloppy.”

But the game sure did start promising. Facing their first test on the road this season, the Jayhawks led throughout the first half and held a nine point advantage three times.

McCray scored eight of Kansas’ first 10 points, while finishing the first half with 14 points and eight rebounds. After picking up her third foul early in the second half, though, McCray was forced to sit on the bench for nearly five crucial minutes during Marquette’s second-half comeback.

As a team, Kansas committed 26 personal fouls. Six Jayhawks finished with three fouls and two players fouled out.

“We just couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively because we kept getting in foul trouble offensively,” sophomore forward Nicollette Smith said. “We couldn’t get into that flow.”

Still, the Jayhawks played well enough to control the game in the first half. But with seven seconds left before halftime, Marquette senior Krystal Ellis scored three of her game-high 32 points to trim Kansas’ lead to six.

By doing so, Ellis stole the momentum from Kansas and ignited the Golden Eagles’ comeback hopes.

“They threw a punch right back at us going back in the locker room,” Smith said. “Everyone’s spirits went down a little.”

“They had the energy coming back in. Knowing that they were down, they brought the intensity,” McCray said.

Marquette took its first lead of the game with less than three minutes into the second half. With 16:22 remaining, Ellis’ jumper grabbed the Golden Eagles a 39-38 lead — one they kept for the first time.

“It wasn’t how they looked,” Henrickson said. “It was how they didn’t look: determined to get it back and make it a one possession game. That’s where this team has to grow emotionally and get through adversity.”

— — Edited by Arthur Hur