For the Kansas University women’s basketball team, the equation for success has been pretty simple — tough defense plus balanced scoring equals a win.

The formula worked for the Jayhawks Saturday in a stomping of Cal State Fullerton and turned out to be the answer again Sunday as Kansas ousted Texas-El Paso, 71-50, to claim the Jayhawk Classic championship.

It was the first tournament crown for KU since 1999, and the Jayhawks were well aware of the three-year drought going into the game.

“We wanted this for coach,” Crystal Kemp said.

The sophomore forward was named the tournament MVP after turning in another notable performance with a team-high 15 points a day after racking up a season-high 23 points in Saturday’s 90-46 rout of the Titans.

“It’s one of those things I’m very proud of,” Kemp said of the honor, “but I couldn’t do it without my teammates.”

Kansas coach Marian Washington said that coming into the season, Kemp’s goal was to be a more consistent player overall.

“She’s just playing good basketball right now,” Washington said. “I thought last year we all saw flashes of her potential. I think every game she’s been able to help us in some way or the other.”

The Jayhawks (3-2) got a scare in the waning seconds of the first half after Kemp was elbowed in the chin by Marta Dydek as the UTEP center tried to escape a KU double-team. Kemp, who was on the court for a couple of minutes after the incident, said she was OK.

Kansas University freshman forward Lauren Ervin (44) goes up for a shot against four Texas-El Paso players during the first half. Ervin scored eight points and had eight rebounds in the Jayhawks' 71-50 victory in the Jayhawk Classic championship game Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was just one of those things that happened,” Kemp said. “It’s part of the game.”

Junior guard Aquanita Burras scored 14 points for the Jayhawks.

“I felt like I had to prove something out there,” Burras said after she wasn’t happy with Saturday’s outing.

Burras was named to the all-tournament team, along with KU freshman forward Lauren Ervin. The McDonald’s All-American chipped in eight points after putting up a career-best 16 Saturday. Maybe more importantly, though, she had eight rebounds, as did Burras.

“Rebounds mean a lot more to me, probably more than points,” Ervin said.

6Sports video: Jayhawks claim Classic title

The first half of the game, started out like the second half of the Cal State Fullerton contest, the common thread being Kansas flat out dominated.

The Jayhawks outscored the Miners, 40-13, in the first. UTEP (2-3) couldn’t find the rim, shooting 4-of-26 from the field. Adding to its frustration was the full- and half-court presses applied by the Jayhawks, who had five steals.

The Miners — who beat KU, 63-60, in the first game last season — scored their first bucket at 17:31 and didn’t score another until 11:26. Their third set of points came at 6:16.

“It was awesome to see they way they could keep that intensity, keep the coverage that they needed to,” Washington said. “It was a tremendous effort.”

Burras said the team has a current goal of scoring more than 70 points and allowing 50 or less points on defense. Kansas did both, barely.

Above, Kansas University players, from left, freshman forward Lauren Ervin, junior guard Aquanita Burras and sophomore forward Crystal Kemp, celebrate being named to the Jayhawk Classic All-Tournament Team. Kemp was named the tournament's most valuable player. Below, Burras gets tangled up with Texas-El Paso players Charnette Phelps, left, and Jonna Launiainen. The Jayhawks won, 71-50, Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

Although the team played “tenacious defense,” as Burras called it, at times and only allowed two UTEP players to score more than nine points, the Miners outscored the Jayhawks in the second half, 37-31.

“I think we just let up,” Ervin said. “When we were up by about 30 points, it changed everyone’s mindset.”

There is the kind of lapse that Kansas will have to work on, Washington said.

“We had 25 to 30 minutes of good basketball,” she said. “We’re just going to keep working so we can get a few more minutes, but I was really happy with the tournament as a whole.”

Alabama State (2-1) slipped away with 65-63 win over Cal State Fullerton (0-5) in the tournament’s consolation game. Crystal Kitt led the way with 26 points. Kitt was named to all-tournament team as was UTEP’s Dydek and guard Vaida Zagursyte.

Kansas will go for its fourth consecutive win when it plays host to Ball State this weekend. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.