Photo Gallery

Kansas Women's Basketball vs. Nebraska

A photo gallery of the Kansas women's basketball game against Nebraska Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

With 1.4 seconds left on the clock and the score tied at 61-61, sophomore guard Danielle McCray stepped to the free-throw line with the game in her hands and a peculiar thought on her mind.

“I was thinking more about how to miss the second shot than make the first one,” McCray said.

Indeed, there was no reason to worry about the first shot as McCray calmly buried it to put Kansas up 62-61. After she bricked the second shot, Nebraska, which was out of time-outs, grabbed the ball and desperately threw it the length of the court.

The ball failed to reach even the free-throw line and the Jayhawks escaped with a dramatic victory, their third win in the last four games.

“I think this was another example for our team that emotionally we’ve grown up,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said.

In the first-half, neither team took a very large lead but Kansas controlled the game. Freshman forward Nicollette Smith made 2-of-3 three-pointers and added a pair of free throws to lead all scorers at the half with eight points. Kansas went into the halftime up 31-26.

Center Krysten Boogaard, who came in averaging 16.8 points the last four games, was held to just two first-half points thanks to the Cornhuskers’ double teams. However, with the freshman struggling, senior forward Taylor McIntosh stepped up and provided a low post presence.

“Welcome back, Taylor,” Henrickson quipped. “On a night when Krysten was human, it was great to see Taylor step up and play with some confidence.”

McIntosh poured in 11 points, pulled down seven rebounds and also recorded four assists, two blocks and two steals. To get her points McIntosh shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, a stat envied by everyone on the Cornhuskers bench.

Nebraska shot a dismal 17-of-34 from the charity stripe, while Kansas took advantage of its trips, going a solid 10-of-13.

The Jayhawks opened up a nine-point lead with six minutes to go, but Cornhusker guard Yvonne Turner scored eight points in under two minutes to bring her team back.

With 1:30 to play, Turner hit a free throw to put Nebraska up 58-56 but McCray responded with a strong drive and layup. Then guard Sade Morris stole Turner’s pass, got fouled and hit her first free throw.

Morris missed the second, but McIntosh grabbed the board and laid it in to go up 61-58.

Cornhusker forward Kelsey Griffin responded with a pair of free throws, then guard Tay Hester rebounded a missed McCray jumper and was fouled by Morris.

Hester started 0-for-5 from the line but swished her first one through the basket. After the second bounced off the iron, Kansas guard LaChelda Jacobs corralled the rebound and passed it to a waiting McCray with 12 seconds left.

Henrickson said she knew McCray wouldn’t give up the ball, so she watched her star player drive to the basket and draw a blocking foul from Griffin with 1.4 left on the clock.

McCray celebrated like the game was already won and Nebraska used two time-outs in a row to try and ice her.

“It calmed me down,” McCray said of the time-outs. “I just used it to get a breather because I was kind of tired from screaming and jumping up and down after I drew that contact.”

After the buzzer sounded, McCray was swarmed by her elated teammates at half court.

“It was real big because this was one of the home games we needed,” McCray said. “This was a must-win game.”

— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird