Inside Allen Fieldhouse, verbal and physical expressions of disappointment, surprise and frustration grabbed hold of everyone from fans to players and coach Bonnie Henrickson.

Coming off a 17-point victory against Missouri, Kansas looked uninspired in a 57-49 loss to Texas Tech Saturday night.

“The same energy that we had against Missouri, we didn’t have tonight,” junior forward Danielle McCray said. “And it was on both ends. It felt like…I don’t even have words to explain it. There just wasn’t anything there.”

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Kansas Women's Basketball vs. Texas Tech

Texas Tech's Lady Raiders fefeat the Jayhawks 57-49, leading by a 2-1 margin throughout most of the game.

Sure, Texas Tech (11-5, 2-1) is a capable team that upset a ranked Texas squad earlier this season. But after playing so well against Missouri, and with another winnable game against Nebraska on Wednesday, Texas Tech presented Kansas (12-4, 1-2) with the perfect opportunity to jump out to a quick start in Big 12 play.

And in a conference where seven teams are currently ranked, that’s important.

“I don’t understand how you’re that soft,” Henrickson said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

Entering the game, Kansas ranked second in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage while leading the conference in three-point percentage. Against Texas Tech, though, Kansas completely strayed from those statistics.

The Jayhawks’ numbers alone tell the story: 28 percent shooting, one of 13 three-pointers and 15 turnovers. And just as frustrating were the shots that Kansas missed: gimme breakaway layups, open jump shots and uncontested three-pointers.

“It’s frustrating to know that something that you’re so strong at has immediately become a weakness for you,” junior guard Kelly Kohn said. “That was very frustrating.”

Junior forward Danielle McCray highlighted Kansas’ struggles. The Jayhawks’ leading scorer, McCray finished the game with 22 points and eight rebounds. But she made just seven of 24 attempts and turned the ball over a season-high seven times.

Though McCray eclipsed the 20-point mark, Saturday’s contest marked the third consecutive game in which she struggled.

“I don’t know what I’m going through right now,” McCray said. “I don’t know what it is, but I need to get out of it. And it needs to come quick.”

Perhaps just as alarming as the Jayhawks’ shooting was their poor rebounding. The Red Raiders grabbed 13 more rebounds than the Jayhawks, eliminating many second-chance opportunities.

And on a night when shooting was a problem, the Jayhawks could have used the extra possessions.

“We weren’t going to lose because we couldn’t make our first shot,” Henrickson said. “We ended up losing because we never even got a second or third shot.”

Many of Kansas’ field-goal attempts were open jumpers. But too often the Jayhawks settled for long-range shots instead of looking inside. In the first half, when Texas Tech made its run, Kansas scored only six points in the paint and collected just two offensive rebounds.

The Jayhawks cut the Red Raiders’ lead to eight with less than a minute left in the game. But Kansas couldn’t connect on enough shots late and Texas Tech made enough free throws to hang on for the victory.

“It’s hard to get momentum when you’re not knocking down shots and you can’t find a rhythm offensively,” Kohn said. “And then to find them doing the same things that we can’t do is very frustrating.”

— — Edited By Andrew Wiebe