KU's Danielle McCray shoots over Houston's Courtney Taylor in the first half of Kansas' 73-56 victory over the Cougars on Wednesday Dec. 31 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Danielle McCray isn’t Houdini and she isn’t Mandrake or David Copperfield.

Sometimes, though, McCray displays a jaw-dropping shooting touch — like during a 74-second stretch of Wednesday’s 73-56 Kansas University women’s basketball triumph over Houston in Allen Fieldhouse.

“I come off a screen, I get my footwork down,” McCray said, “and it’s like magic for me.”

Kansas was nursing a 40-37 lead early in the second half, then McCray swished a pair of three-pointers and a baseline floater over the next 1:14 to give the Jayhawks a nine-point cushion they wouldn’t surrender.

“Once my feet are set and I have rhythm,” McCray said, “the coaches said they’d bet a thousand dollars on me.”

McCray looked like a million dollars in the second half, scoring 18 of her game-high 26 points and committing just one foul. In the first half, however, the 5-foot-11 junior looked more like a Confederate dollar.

McCray sat eight minutes before the break after picking up her second foul, a scenario that, KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said, happens “almost every single game,” adding: “I don’t understand it. As a junior, she has to have more discipline.”

McCray says she wishes she could explain her frustrating propensity for early fouls, but she can’t.

“It just happens. I just make stupid fouls,” she said. “And I just have to realize I might as well go (to the bench) and be a good cheerleader.”

Another early KU cheerleader was point guard LaChelda Jacobs. After starting the Jayhawks’ first 10 games, Jacobs opened this one on the bench.

“I haven’t been real happy with LaChelda,” Henrickson said. “We need more from her right now.”

Ivana Catic, one of only three seniors on the KU roster, started in Jacobs’ place and contributed six assists and five rebounds as well as a 30-foot running three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer.

“Ivana was fantastic,” Henrickson said. “Ivana’s energy was huge.”

Informed of her surprise start at Wednesday morning’s shootaround, Catic couldn’t help but smile, in part because her mother has come all the way from Serbia to see her play.

“I was happy,” Catic said, “but nothing really changed. I did everything I do when I don’t start.”

Jacobs came off the bench and matched Catic’s half-dozen assists while logging 14 fewer minutes, and Henrickson is optimistic the 5-10 junior will regain her early-season form.

“LaChelda will get it right,” the KU coach said. “She understands the team needs her to be good.”

With nine wins in 11 starts, Kansas still has plenty to prove because the Jayhawks were also 9-2 at this stage last season and went on to finish with a 4-12 record in the Big 12 Conference chase.

Kansas will play host to New Mexico State at 2 p.m. Sunday, conclude the nonconference schedule next Wednesday at Fairfield, then begin league play Jan. 10 at Kansas State.