Then Woodard, Kansas University’s interim women’s basketball coach, did a quick postgame radio show.

After a hasty debriefing of her players in the dressing room, Woodard met with the media for a few minutes. Then she placed the call.

Whatever Woodard told Marian Washington, who had missed her first KU women’s game in nearly 31 years, is between them, but wherever Washington was she had to be smiling when Woodard related the news.

The Jayhawks shot a torrid 56.4 percent and snapped a four-game losing streak by thrashing Oklahoma State, 74-61, Saturday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

That postgame phone call wasn’t Woodard’s first with Washington Saturday.

“When I talked to her today, she said to play our hearts out,” Woodard said. “She wanted us to take care of the team and take care of each other, and we did that.”

Two days earlier, Washington had stunned her players, her assistant coaches and everyone else by revealing she was going to take an indefinite leave of absence for unspecified medical reasons.

Saturday was their first game without their head coach.

“We just had to step up and be there for each other,” Woodard said. “We’re not on an island. It’s been very stressful, but we fought. Win or lose, that’s what I wanted to see.”

Forward Crystal Kemp virtually was unstoppable inside, scoring 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting. That’s about 10 points higher than her average.

Hear Lynette: KU-OSU women’s hoops postgame comments See the photos: KU-OSU women’s hoops

“We wanted to get the ball to Crystal,” Woodard said. “We got it to her, and she stepped up.”

Kemp outscored OSU’s Trisha Skibbe, the Big 12 Conference’s leading scorer. Skibbe, averaging 20.1 points a game, led the Cowgirls with 21 points.

“It feels really good,” said Kemp, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Topeka. “There was no stress and no tension tonight. Everybody did a really good job. We had to come out and play. Coach may not be here, but she can’t play the game for us.”

Sophomore Erica Hallman keyed the late first-half 15-4 run that proved decisive. Kansas (9-9 overall, 2-5 in the Big 12) was nursing a 25-23 lead with 6:22 left before the break, then Hallman had a stick-back and a pair of three-pointers that boosted the Jayhawks to a 40-27 halftime lead.

Oklahoma State (8-11, 3-5) never came within nine points the rest of the way.

“I was just feeling it,” Hallman said. “I was just out there playing, and the shots went down in the heat of the game.”

Hallman and Lauren Ervin, another bench player, posted similar lines. Both were 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 13 points. Starting guard Aquanita Burras also was in double figures with 14 points.

For her part, Burras said she was keenly aware Washington was missing.

“It was pretty weird,” the 5-9 junior said. “Going back to the bench there was that extra seat. It was kind of lonely out there.”

Still, as Kemp pointed out: “We missed her, but we knew she was there spiritually.”

As a team, KU had been shooting 43.6 percent from the field, but the Jayhawks shot 56.4 percent (31 of 55) Saturday, including a sizzling 60.7 percent in the first half (17 of 28).

“We’ve dedicated every game to coach Washington,” Woodard said, “and they were fired up about it.”

Woodard did at least one thing Washington may not have done prior to tipoff. Traditionally, the Jayhawks let out a loud yell in unison as they leave the locker room to run onto the court.

“Instead of yelling,” Woodard said, “I told them to save the energy for the floor.”

The Jayhawks will need all the energy they can muster next time out. They have to play Texas Tech, the Big 12’s perennial power, Wednesday night in Lubbock, Texas.

Notes: KU officials announced a crowd of 1,441, about 200 more than the Jayhawks have been averaging at home. Attendees received a KU Women of Distinction calendar. … KU outrebounded the Cowgirls 36-28. Ervin paced the Jayhawks with nine boards. The 6-4 freshman also led KU with three steals. … Guard Larisha Graves had seven rebounds, six points and five assists.