After Kansas’ impressive performance in a 64-58 loss to Kansas St. on Saturday, senior Taylor McIntosh said that the way her squad was playing didn’t at all resemble the team that took the court in Boulder less than a month ago.

Wednesday night the Jayhawks proved McIntosh right, converting from the free-throw line and recording a season-high nine blocks to brush off the Buffaloes for a 70-59 victory.

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Kansas Women's Basketball vs. Colorado

Everything that Kansas failed to do in its 59-41 loss in Boulder, coach Bonnie Henrickson’s team did in Allen Fieldhouse.

“When they tried to make a run we answered the run,” Henrickson said. “Our free throws were great and we’re starting to grow up and starting to play with some more toughness.”

Junior guard Ivana Catic said, “When we were there we came out of the gate like crazy and made a big run. Then we stopped playing and just hoped that it was going to happen for us.”

There was no hoping from the Jayhawks Wednesday, just action.

To start the game Kansas fed the ball to center Krysten Boogaard down low and the freshman responded with eight quick points. Getting Boogaard the ball early has been the game plan the past few contests because Henrickson finds that it has a calming effect on the rest of the team.

“The fact that we can go to her and she’s a high-percentage offensive weapon, it gets everyone else to take a deep breath,” Henrickson said.

The extra attention paid to Boogaard allowed other players more freedom, and sophomore guard Danielle McCray took advantage with 14 first half points on her way to a game high 24.

“I was just being big, using my size to create some things,” McCray said.

Kansas (14-9, 3-7) shot nearly 58 percent from the field in the first half to take a 38-31 advantage into halftime.

Buffs freshman forward Brittany Spears – who played with bandages to stop a bloody nose caused from incidental contact in the first half – battled to keep her team in the game. With 15:40 left she drilled a three-pointer and made the score 43-41, but Kansas would go up four just a minute later and never let Colorado (13-11, 2-9) get within three again.

The Jayhawks defense was their biggest improvement from the first half to the second as they held the Buffaloes to a meager 27 percent shooting.

With a 60-55 lead and the shot clock winding down, Catic – normally happy to pass the ball – attacked the rim and drew a foul on a made layup.

“I knew at that point that I had to make a play,” Catic said.

Added Henrickson, “She’s not going to make a play every time, but she’s got a couple in her.”

Kansas iced the game at the charity stripe where they finished 23-for-32.

Catic finished with 10 points while Boogaard recorded 16 points and eight rebounds. McCray added 10 rebounds to her 24 points and said her team had made some big strides lately.

“We’re just more mentally tough and more aggressive,” McCray said. “We play together and our huddles are more tight – we just know that we have to stick together because all we have is us.”

—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina