Battered a few weeks ago in Boulder, Colo., Kansas University’s women’s basketball team buffeted the Buffaloes on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

Danielle McCray scored 24 points and added 10 boards as the Jayhawks posted a 70-59 victory – a far cry from their late-January 59-41 flop in the Flatirons.

“It wasn’t any adjustment,” McCray said. “We just needed to play harder. Out there we were soft and not being aggressive.”

The A-word was used a lot by the Jayhawks and coach Bonnie Henrickson afterward.

“I loved our aggressiveness,” said Henrickson, who also used words with similar meaning when asked about the play of McCray.

“Danielle’s effort and intensity was a catalyst,” the KU coach said. “I think the kids feed off of her. When she plays well, we play with more confidence.”

Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller jumped on McCray’s bandwagon, too, noting the 5-foot-11 sophomore also contributed four assists, four steals and three blocked shots.

“McCray was the best I’ve seen her all year,” McConnell-Miller said. “She was just really effective. Her line looks good – obviously you do not want five turnovers – but everything else was solid. She was a difference-maker tonight.”

McCray did have five turnovers, and, as a team, the Jayhawks were charged with 20 giveaways – right on their season average – but they were able to overcome the gaffes by producing their highest point total against a Big 12 team this season.

Krysten Boogaard, the 6-5 freshman who has blossomed during the second semester, contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, and Ivana Catic’s performance was noteworthy, too.

Catic had four assists and three steals while contributing 10 points, a total that matched her season high.

“She took good shots, made good decisions,” Henrickson said. “We need for her to be aggressive.”

For her part, Catic mentioned that watching tape of the first Colorado game convinced her she was passing up shots she should have taken.

“I looked and said, ‘Oh, that’s my shot,'” Catic noted. “Also, it’s my understanding that if I’m aggressive, it’ll help everybody. I think I really have to do that more.”

Colorado has one of the league’s worst defenses – the Buffs had surrendered 80 or more points in their three previous games – but their offense has been potent. When Jackie McFarland is clicking.

McFarland, a 6-3 senior from Derby and the Big 12’s second-leading scorer, was constantly double-teamed, mostly by Boogaard and Nicollette Smith, and finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

“Teams have played her a lot of different ways, and she’s struggling to get into the flow of how differently the games are being called,” McConnell-Miller said. “She’s still performing, but for us, we typically see that line as 18 (points) and nine (rebounds). But I thought Boogaard and Nicollette did a nice job on her.”

Kansas will be back in Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Nebraska. The Jayhawks will don pink uniforms that afternoon to heighten awareness of breast cancer research.

Notes: Kansas has won two of its last three and has climbed to 14-9 overall and 3-7 in the Big 12. The Buffs (13-11 and 2-9) lost for the ninth time in their last 10 games. : KU’s eight blocks tied a season high. : McCray posted her fourth double-double of the season despite fouling out with 1:51 remaining.