Kansas forward Carolyn Davis (21) and guard Keena Mays talk during a stoppage in play during Kansas’ game against Nebraska Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas defeated Nebraska, 77-61.

Squandered second-half leads have led to more than a few narrow Kansas University women’s basketball losses this season.

Not Saturday night.

KU shrugged off Nebraska’s second-half rally and responded by surging ahead for a 77-61 victory at Allen Fieldhouse.

“We haven’t had that in a while,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “It was good to get a little bit of separation.”

The Jayhawks (19-9 overall, 6-8 Big 12) won their third straight and have won five of their last seven outings. With two regular-season games remaining, KU is optimistic about getting back to .500 in conference play, which would all but guarantee an NCAA Tournament bid.

“You either get better or you get worse (in February),” Henrickson said. “I just feel good that we’re getting better.”

Carolyn Davis paced the Jayhawks with a career-high 36 points and pulled down eight rebounds, but the Huskers — behind a career-high 33 points from crafty guard Lindsey Moore — all but wiped out KU’s 11-point lead midway through the second half.

As Moore drained yet another jumper to bring the Huskers to 51-49, a hush fell over the crowd, and surely more than a few were thinking, “Here we go again.”

But not the Jayhawks.

KU switched to a disciplined 2-3 zone to stifle Moore, picked up the intensity on the glass (KU outrebounded NU, 36-22) and continued to stay aggressive on offense.

“That’s where you grow the lead,” Henrickson said.

The Jayhawks pushed the pace after misses and even after made baskets, prompting Nebraska coach Connie Yori to praise KU’s up-tempo style in her postgame news conference, saying it was the most they’ve run in recent years.

With Angel Goodrich (eight points, 11 assists) running the offense, KU went on a 10-3 run to regain the double-digit edge and didn’t relent.

“It was nice to put them away,” Goodrich said. “But it’s not nice to let them come back and have to do that.”

With the inside-out tandem of Davis and Goodrich operating at its best, the Huskers had no answer.

Goodrich lobbed perfect entry passes to the soft-shooting Davis, or drove the lane before dishing it off — a few times on no-look, over-the-shoulder passes — to Davis or other lucky recipients for easy layup chances.

“I try to put it where they can finish easy,” Goodrich said. “I want to be the one that creates the play.”

As they’ve done at times this season, the Jayhawks started a bit sluggishly on offense and fell behind, 13-4, but didn’t take long to answer.

Fueled by 18 points from Davis, KU closed the half on a 28-10 run and carried a 39-28 lead to the break, after tallying assists on 11 of 16 first-half field goals.