Kansas guard Danielle McCray puts up a shot against Oklahoma State Cowgirls Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The outcome might not have been perfect, but following a week members of the Kansas University women’s basketball team would just as soon forget, Tuesday’s promising showing during a 70-68 loss at the hands of visiting Oklahoma State was at least a step forward.

In the wake of back-to-back upset losses to a pair of unranked opponents — a two-game slide that saw the Jayhawks fall from the Top 25 this week — the team’s aggressiveness returned as KU overcame a 10-point deficit in a close loss to the 15th-ranked Cowgirls.

“If it was a loss like last week’s losses, right now you’d just be second-guessing yourself,” said KU senior guard/forward Danielle McCray. “But right now, I still have a lot of confidence, and our team does, too. We’re a good team, and we’ve just got to get things right.”

In front of a particularly rambunctious home crowd — made up primarily of squealing elementary school students, there for the program’s annual “Schools for Success Day” — the game’s two marquee names put on quite a display, as McCray and OSU’s all-American candidate, Andrea Riley, went blow-for-blow for 40 minutes.

Riley finished with a game-high 30 points, and McCray added 28 as the two spent most of the afternoon trading baskets — each managing to deliver when her team needed it most.

With 15.3 seconds remaining, for instance, McCray connected on a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 68.

On the ensuing play, however, Riley drove to the basket and, upon finding her path blocked, dished off to forward Toni Young for a lay-up with three seconds remaining in what proved to be the game-winning basket.

Still, the Jayhawks’ level of energy lessened the blow of the team’s third consecutive loss as it fell to 10-5 overall, 0-2 in the Big 12.

“There were a lot of things that we worked on after (Saturday’s 59-35 loss to Kansas State),” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Our list was long. But there were a lot of things we worked today. I thought we attacked, I thought we were aggressive, I thought we bounced back after such a poor performance.”

Despite the upbeat post-game atmosphere, however, the program received a massive blow when it learned that starting point guard Angel Goodrich will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage in her right knee.

“We played last year without (Goodrich),” said Sade Morris. “And we still have the same people here. LaChelda (Jacobs) did a great job for us last year being the backup point guard, and she can step up and fill those shoes again.”