Junior guard LaChelda Jacobs had wide eyes with her sights set on two easy points after intercepting a Western Illinois pass. As Jacobs drove in for the open layup, everything seemed fine. To her dismay, however, the ball spun around the rim and missed the hoop.

Enter junior guard Danielle McCray.

Out of nowhere, McCray swooped in, grabbing the ball out of the air. She bounced it off the glass and into the hoop for two points.

“Coaches always say to stay in the play,” McCray said. “You never know what’s going to happen. I just stayed with the play and followed it and put it back in. It was kinda cool.”

McCray helped lead the Jayhawks (6-1) to a 66-43 victory against the Western Illinois Westerwinds (2-7) last night at Allen Fieldhouse. The junior guard dropped 18 points and five rebounds on the night, as Kansas tasted victory again after its first loss to Marquette on Dec. 7.

Kansas improved on its ability to take care of the ball after committing a season-high 29 turnovers at Marquette. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 16 times against Western Illinois, with six turnovers caused by offensive fouls.

“16 was still a lot for us and I guess we have to take it one step at a time,” McCray said. “From 29 to 16 is a huge difference, but it’s still not what we’re looking for.”

After a disappointing first half in which the Jayhawks shot only 40 percent from the field and looked lazy on defense, coach Bonnie Henrickson delivered a stern halftime speech.

“Halftime wasn’t fun at all, but that’s what we needed,” McCray said.

The Jayhawks didn’t look any better during the first four minutes of the second period, as Western Illinois immediately went on a 7-0 scoring run to make the score 33-28. The team battled back, however, as McCray and sophomore forward Nicollette Smith led Kansas on a 10-4 scoring run to give the Jayhawks a comfortable 12-point lead. Smith was phenomenal from behind the three-point line, making four of eight attempts with 16 points and six rebounds on the night.

Henrickson was also pleased with defensive intensity the Jayhawks showed in the second half.

“We got five stops in a row in the second half and then fouled,” she said. “That’s an expectation and an intensity that we need, especially coming off a tough loss at Marquette.”

Kansas hopes it can build momentum from last night’s performance as the Jayhawks’ schedule toughens during finals week. The team will play at Creighton this Saturday to kick off a three-game road trip. The added pressure of finals doesn’t faze McCray.

“It’s a lot of stress, but once you’re on the court you have to forget about it. It’s a place where you can forget about things. And once it’s over, you’ve got to get back to it,” she said.

— — Edited by Tara Smith