On the eve of Kansas’ 74-66 loss at Texas on Wednesday, coach Bonnie Henrickson looked at junior guard Sade Morris during a team meeting and, with every intention of stirring a reaction, “called out” Morris’ less-than-impressive performance on Saturday.

“I said ‘listen, when Danielle (McCray) went out, you never took a shot,’ ” Henrickson said. “You passed up shots and you weren’t aggressive. I looked at her and said ‘you’ve got to go.’ ”

Go she did.

In response to Henrickson’s prying, Morris scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and added five assists against Texas. And she did so mostly without the contributions of junior forward Danielle McCray, who was forced to the sideline because of foul trouble.

A vastly similar situation unfolded last Saturday against Missouri, when fouls again relegated McCray to the sideline for segments of the game. In that game, which Kansas lost 74-60, Morris scored just three points and missed all four of her attempts.

“When Danielle’s not in, who’s going to be that person to step up?” junior guard LaChelda Jacobs said. “And I think Sade really did that on Wednesday.”

If Kansas wants to compete with No. 2 Oklahoma tomorrow, though, Henrickson’s team will need all-around performances from McCray, Morris and the rest of the Jayhawks.

More so than any team Kansas has faced this season, Oklahoma is a supremely talented squad that has played — and defeated — some of the best teams in the country.

“We’re going to need our starting five, our bench, everyone,” Jacobs said.

Throughout the conference season, Henrickson has continuously stressed the need for balanced scoring.

In games Kansas has experienced success, multiple players have made significant contributions. In games they’ve struggled, though, the Jayhawks have relied heavily on one or two scorers.

Against Texas, Morris and sophomore forward Nicollette Smith paced Kansas on offense. The duo combined for 30 points and made big shots to keep the score close in the second half.

“Well, I think (Sade) took it upon herself and held herself accountable,” Jacobs said. “And I think Nic also did that. They took it upon themselves to do that for our team.”

Yet, as impressive as Kansas’ second-half effort against Texas was, Kansas can’t let that serve as their highlight. Sure, Morris and Smith played well down the stretch. But against a team as talented as Oklahoma, playing one good half is not enough.

All of Kansas’ pieces must play consistently well for the entire game to compete against Oklahoma. And the Jayhawks know they’re in for a challenge against the Sooners on Saturday.

“Time to battle again, we gotta find a way,” Henrickson said. “We’ll compete, play our tails off, try to hang in there and find a way to win at the end.”

— — Edited by Sam Speer