Sophomore center Krysten Boogaard hasn’t been as consistent as coach Bonnie Henrickson would like.

“She’s been on and off, and I can’t tell you that she’s had two good days back to back,” Henrickson said.

Sunday was a good day for Boogaard.

She had a double-double, scoring 16 points and snagging 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks in a 67-51 victory against Washburn.

“She’s our go-to player,” junior guard Sade Morris said. “It’s very important for us to get her the ball, because she can score so easily.”

Morris aided Kansas, scoring 14 points with five assists in the Jayhawks’ final exhibition game of the season. The offensive play by Morris and junior guard Danielle McCray, who also scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, was crucial for Kansas as the team defeated a formidable Washburn team.

The Jayhawks’ inside play and aggressive defense won them the game in the second half as they made several dramatic scoring runs.

The Jayhawks started off sloppy with several early turnovers and poor shot selection. After a nice drive by junior guard LaChelda Jacobs, however, the Jayhawks settled down, converting on their next few possessions.

Washburn battled back, trading baskets with Kansas and keeping the game close. A turnover by Krysten Boogaard gave the Lady Blues three fast-break points to take the lead 19-18 eight minutes into the game.

Boogaard immediately redeemed herself, converting on Kansas’ next two possessions. Her four first-half points sparked an 8-0 Kansas run, making the score 26-19 with five minutes left in the first half.

The Lady Blues responded, though, with a 9-2 run to tie the score 28-28 at the half.

Kansas came out strong in the second half and captured the momentum from the beginning, scoring nine unanswered points to make the score 37-28.

Washburn fought back to within two points, but the Jayhawks stepped up again, going on an exciting 17-2 run thanks to the aggressive defense of senior guard Kelly Kohn and solid inside play by Boogaard.

“I think Kelly really came in on the defensive end and kind of sparked the defense,” Boogaard said. “She got a lot of steals and a lot of deflections.”

The score was 60-43 with four and a half minutes left in the game and the Jayhawks sailed to a 2-0 preseason record with a final score of 67-51.

Henrickson said the game’s back-and-forth momentum kept her on the edge of her seat.

“It’s tied, and then we make a run and they come back,” she said. “I was disappointed that we didn’t get the lead to 20.”

Kansas opens regular season play at 7 p.m. Friday against Sacred Heart.

“We have our eye on the prize of getting to the NCAA Tournament,” Morris said. “We have to take every game one at a time, and even though it’s a long season, we just have to stay together and play as a team.”

— —Edited by Adam Mowder