The wait was long, but it was worth it.

Bonnie Henrickson could not have asked for a more exciting and heart-pounding introduction to the Border Showdown, a 63-61 victory over Missouri.

"There is tremendous excitement for our kids," Henrickson said.

In a rollercoaster-game that featured 18 lead changes, Kansas, 8-8 (1-4 Big 12), earned its first conference victory of the season in an interesting reversal of fortune of last Saturday's last-second 62-60 loss at Texas A&M.;

"We discussed as a group after the A&M; game about rebounding," Henrickson said.

And the Jayhawks responded by grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, one of the keys to the game for Kansas.

Instead of a repeat of the late shot against the Aggies, the Jayhawks closed out the victory using solid defense that kept Missouri off the scoreboard for the last 3:24 of the game.

Although Kansas managed to score only four points in the last six minutes, senior guard Aquanita Burras' steal and breakaway lay-up at the 1:18 mark put the Jayhawks ahead for good, 63-61.

The back-and-forth contest, which Missouri led 31-26 at halftime, was filled with lightning quick offensive spurts that made for a nervous atmosphere.

"That is the scariest thing at home," Burras said. "It was nerve-wracking."

Kansas struck first and jumped out to an early 16-6 lead over the Tigers, but the Kansas quickly cooled.

In response to the early Jayhawk lead, Missouri closed out the first period on a 25-10 run that placed it at a five-point halftime advantage.

Scoring on its first three possessions after the intermission, Kansas regained the advantage, pulling ahead 32-31 by the 18:26 mark.

The remainder of the game proved to be a see-saw battle dominated by the play of Kansas big guns, juniors, forward Crystal Kemp and guard Erica Hallman.

Kemp finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.

"She was incredible," Missouri coach Cindy Stein said. "It is like she has suction cups on her hands for rebounds."

Producing from the perimeter and dishing the ball to Kemp, Hallman put up 16 points and posted six assists.

The loss pushed Missouri to 7-9 (1-4) and extended their losing streak to five games.

For Kansas, the outcome snapped a four-game losing streak, and gave the Jayhawks 1.5 points toward the Border Showdown prize. According to KU Media Relations, Kansas leads Missoui 9.0-5.5 in total points. Several contests, including two men's basketball and one women's basketball game, remain.

The Jayhawks play on the road at Colorado on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.