Nebraska coach Connie Yori walked through the double doors that lead to the media room inside Allen Fieldhouse wearing a solemn expression — drasticly different from her expression after the teams’ first meeting.

On Jan. 21 at Nebraska, Kansas’ turnovers and shoddy defensive effort allowed Nebraska to dominate the second half in a 67-58 loss. On Saturday night, the Jayhawks corrected those flaws, defeating the Cornhuskers 70-57 for their third straight victory.

But it’s not enough to simply know that the Jayhawks are winning. With that in mind, The Kansan looks at the Jayhawks’ recent improvements.

Point guard play

“They’ve just continued to get better,” Yori said. “And it’s tough in this league when you struggle early to continue to get better.”

Two weeks ago, Kansas’ point guards played so erratically in a 69-54 loss to Oklahoma that coach Bonnie Henrickson repeatedly pulled one for the other.

“Bad shot, sub. Turnover, sub,” Henrickson said.

During Kansas’ last three games, though, senior Ivana Catic has provided a reliable option at point guard. Catic has averaged 5.7 points, four assists and 1.3 turnovers while playing nearly 31 minutes a game.

“I thought she controlled the game on both ends of the floor,” Yori said after Nebraska’s loss on Saturday.

McCray more efficient

All season, Kansas has leaned on junior forward Danielle McCray for the bulk of its scoring production.

That hasn’t changed, but McCray’s offensive efficiency has. In her last three games, McCray has averaged 24 points while making 52 percent of her shots.

In the three games prior to Kansas’ winning streak, McCray made just 39 percent of her attempts, including a 6-of-23 shooting performance in the loss to Oklahoma.

Second (and third) scoring options

Since junior guard Sade Morris’ Jan. 31 return from a concussion, Henrickson has pleaded with her second leading scorer to be more aggressive.

Recently, Morris has done just that by averaging 14 points per game. More importantly, Morris has continuously attacked the basket, and has made 20-of-23 free throw attempts in her last three games.

But she hasn’t done it alone. Sophomore forward Nicollette Smith scored 13 points against Oklahoma State and freshman forward Aishah Sutherland chipped in 12 points against Nebraska.

“When we’re best is when everyone is playing in rhythm and is confident offensively,” Henrickson said.

Defensive effort

The stats may show that Kansas has played solid defense: 6.3 blocks and 5.7 steals in the last three games.

But the Jayhawks are also limiting their opponents’ strengths.

Kansas limited Iowa State, the Big 12’s best three-point shooting team, to just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. Against Oklahoma State, Kansas held Andrea Riley, the Big 12’s leading scorer, to just 7-of-28 shooting.

“We’ve just been focusing on defense and knowing that we’re a great defensive team,” McCray said.

Answering runs

Seated on a plastic blue chair inside Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday night, junior guard Sade Morris answered questions, and smiles rarely left her face.

For the third consecutive game, Kansas improved in the second half and, most importantly, answered its opponent’s comeback attempts.

Last month, Kansas had little response for any runs, which often resulted in losses. And while the Jayhawks have found answers on the court during their three-game win streak, Morris struggled to find one that accurately described the recent improvement.

“We’ve always been in games, never really gotten blown out by anybody,” Morris said. “Where we’ve lost it was when they made those runs on us. And we never made a run back. Now, we’re like ‘we’re going to answer your run and make a bigger run.”

McCray earns honor

Junior forward Danielle McCray was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season.

In Kansas’ two games from Feb. 23 through March 1, McCray averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds.

— — Edited by Grant Treaster