Nebraska coach Connie Yori knows everything Kansas runs on offense, at least according to junior Danielle McCray. So when the Jayhawks faced an 11-point deficit early in the second half Thursday afternoon junior Sade Morris realized they needed to adjust.

And the way they did that has nothing to do with changing the plays.

Photo Gallery

Kansas Women's Basketball vs. Nebraska

A photo gallery of the women's first round win against Nebraska at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

“We stepped it up on defense to get our offense going because we were struggling a little bit,” junior Sade Morris said.

McCray believes that the adjustment on the defensive end was the turning point in the game. Kansas defeated Nebraska 61-56.

“I think we just dug down deep and decided to guard,” McCray said.

The Jayhawks’ increased focus on defense helped slow down the Cornhuskers’ offense that went on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half. They scored just 13 points after the 14-minute mark.

Coach Bonnie Henrickson thought that a matchup switch was key to her team’s ability to contain Nebraska and junior forward Cory Montgomery. She was dominant for nearly 30 minutes, shooting over Kansas sophomore Nicollete Smith and maneuvering around freshman Aishah Sutherland.

Henrickson thought the way to stop Montgomery was to make her go over sophomore Krysten Boogaard, a much taller defender than Smith or Sutherland.

“Once we put Krysten on her and gave her some of that size, it kind of bothered her,” Henrickson said.

Another factor that kept Kansas in the game while its offense was struggling was the constant pressure on the perimeter by Morris and senior guard Ivana Catic. Henrickson called them “difference-makers” and cited Morris’ length as an effective way to pester Nebraska guards Yvonne Turner and Dominique Kelley.

“Our defensive pressure created some fatigue,” Henrickson said.

It took a while for Kansas to score consistently, but Henrickson said she thought the defense remained important.

“We score as much on points off of turnovers in transition than we did in any set play from the 10 minute mark down,” Henrickson said.

Perhaps the most important bucket of the game came off of a Morris steal. With just over two minutes left and the Jayhawks nursing a one-point lead, Morris jumped into the passing lane, snatched the ball and finished an uncontested layup on the other end. Nebraska didn’t score again.

“I was just going for the steal because we needed it to win,” Morris said.

However the Jayhawks scored in the latter parts of the second half, Morris thought their comeback started on the other end of the floor.

“I think the turning point was our defense,” Morris said.

— —Edited by Chris Hickerson