Photo by Rachel Seymour

Junior guard Erica Hallman passes by Missouri’s EeTisha Riddle during Saturday night’s game in Lawrence. The game came to a close with a 63-61 Jayhawk victory.

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.

“I am very happy for our players,” Henrickson said. “They are all very excited about this win, and they should be.”

In a roller coaster 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 defeat 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.

“We won the battle of the boards, and that was critical for us,” Henrickson said.

Instead of a repeat of the late shot against the Aggies, the Jayhawks closed out the victory using solid defense that kept the Tigers 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 layup at the 1:19 mark put the Jayhawks ahead for good, 63-61. After penetrating the passing lane, Burras tightroped the sideline and went the distance for the score.

Burras finished the showdown with 12 points and four steals.

Missouri had an opportunity to win the game on its last possession, but Tiffany Brooks missed an open three-point shot with 15 seconds left to seal the Tigers’ fate.

“It was a great opportunity,” Brooks said. “I just couldn’t knock it down.”

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-racking.”

Kansas struck first and jumped out to an early 16-6 lead over the Tigers, but the Kansas offense 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 seesaw battle dominated by the play of Kansas juniors, forward Crystal Kemp and guard Erica Hallman.

Producing from the perimeter and dishing the ball to Kemp, Hallman put up 16 points and posted six assists. She accounted for all of the Kansas scoring from long-range by hitting four of seven three-point attempts, including both of her second-half shots.

In one two-minute stretch in the second half, Hallman nailed two three-point shots, recorded two assists and one steal. The burst of life helped Kansas score on six consecutive possessions to keep pace with the Tigers.

“Everything was clicking offensively,” Hallman said. “We got some looks on threes and everyone was knocking their shots down.”

Accurate shooting from the perimeter after halftime helped pave the way for Kemp’s huge second half.

“Once Erica started hitting outside shots, it really made things easier for me,” Kemp said. “She deserves a lot of credit for our inside game.”

Kemp finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. The offensive rebounds proved vital to the Kansas team, which was faced with a Missouri team that featured a much taller lineup.

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

The loss pushed Missouri to 7-10 (1-5) and extended its losing streak to five games.

Brooks led the way for the Tigers with 14 points.

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

Kansas will face the Tigers again on Feb. 5 in Columbia, Mo.

The Jayhawks play on the road at Colorado on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. Kansas City’s Metro Sports will broadcast the game, but Channel 6 in Lawrence will carry it.

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Last Five

at No. 15 Texas: L 66-51 (10-6)

vs. No. 20 Kansas State: L 63-45 (14-3)

vs. No. 19 Iowa State: L 70-37 (15-1)

at Texas A&M;: L 62-60 (11-5)

vs. Missouri: W 63-61 (7-10)

Next Five

at Colorado (11-5)

at Nebraska (11-7)

vs. Oklahoma (11-5)

at Missouri (7-10)

at Oklahoma State (6-10)

Source: Big12sports.com

Edited by Azita Tafreshi