Omaha, Neb. ? A punishing defensive effort led to Kansas University women’s basketball team past Creighton, 60-47, Monday in front of 952 fans at the Omaha Civic Center.

“The first half was as good as we’ve been in a long time, not just this year,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Our defensive energy was fantastic.”

Kansas (3-1) led 36-18 at halftime, and Creighton never was able to score consistently or limit turnovers, though it did outscore Kansas, 29-24, in the second half. The Bluejays (0-3) shot just 25 percent from the field and had 26 turnovers, compared to KU’s 43 percent clip and 18 turnovers.

Kansas was led by freshman Sade Morris, who had 14 points and six rebounds in just 21 minutes. Kelly Kohn added 11 points, Jamie Boyd had eight points and five rebounds and Marija Zinic had six points and nine boards.

Seven of Kohn’s points came in the first 2:07 of the game, helping KU jump to a 7-2 lead. The Jayhawks never trailed after that.

The highlight of Creighton’s night belonged to junior guard Ally Thrall, who had a team-high eight points. She hit two three-pointers and leads the NCAA with a three-pointer in 33 consecutive games.

But even Thrall was just 2-of-10 shooting – a microcosm of how Creighton’s night played out offensively. Monday’s game marked the first time a Creighton player failed to reach double figures since Feb. 20, 2005.

Kansas, accordingly, dominated offensive statistics, including points in the paint (30-10), points of turnovers (22-10) and fast-break points (14-2).

KU now is on a two-game win streak following the loss to Iowa in the WBCA MetroSports Classic on Nov. 12. The Jayhawks will play five of their next six games in Allen Fieldhouse, with only a Dec. 3 game at Wisconsin being away from home.

Kansas takes some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action Nov. 29 against Western Illinois. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.

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Notes: Ivana Catic started her first game of the season after getting the nod in 25 games last year. : Omaha native and KU walk-on Katie Smith played one minute but recorded no stats. : Kansas has now won two games in a row against the Bluejays, and is 16-12 all time against Creighton dating back to 1980.