COLLEGE STATION, Texas Kansas ended one Big 12 rivalry with a triumph. One more will give the Jayhawks a huge advantage in pursuit of a conference championship.</p><p>KU held off Texas A&M 66-58 in one of those can&#x92;t-stand-prosperity games. The Jayhawks saw a 21-point second-half lead melt to four.</p><p>But Kansas held on and will take a one-game lead into Saturday&#x92;s Border War contest with Missouri.</p><p>With the fourth-ranked Jayhawks at 13-2 in league play and 23-5 overall, the final regular-season game between the programs as Big 12 members will put the winner in the driver&#x92;s seat for the conference championship. Third-ranked Missouri, which like Texas A&M is moving to the Southeastern Conference next season, stands 12-3 in the Big 12.</p><p>Given the stakes and the status of the series, Kansas coach Bill Self said the atmosphere &#x93;will be as good as it&#x92;s ever been in the history of the building. That&#x92;s a pretty long time.&#x94;</p><p>Allen Fieldhouse opened in 1955.</p><p>Self said he viewed Missouri&#x92;s loss to Kansas State that broke the tie in the loss column as an opportunity for his team.</p><p>&#x93;The way I tried to sell it to our guys is we caught a break,&#x94; Self said. &#x93;Not that often in sports or life do you get one handed to you, so you have to take advantage.&#x94;</p><p>For about 34 minutes, the Jayhawks did just that. With guard Elijah Johnson leading the way with 18 first-half points, Kansas took a 10-point lead at halftime and stretched it to 21 with 13:25 remaining.</p><p>When Thomas Robinson sank two free throws at the 6:58 mark, the KU lead was 55-37.</p><p>But a field-goal drought had already started for the Jayhawks, who would go nearly 7 minutes between baskets.</p><p>Meanwhile, Texas A&M, a team that has struggled with injuries throughout a disappointing season, gained more confidence as the lead chipped away. Guard Khris Middleton led the charge, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the second half.</p><p>When the Aggies&#x92; Dash Harris, playing for the first time in eight games because of an injured foot, buried a three-pointer with 1:46 remaining, the Kansas advantage was stunningly down to 60-56.</p><p>&#x93;We fell apart for a little bit and they executed,&#x94; Johnson said. &#x93;They capitalized on our mistakes.&#x94;</p><p>There were plenty of them &#x97; including a technical foul on Robinson with 44 seconds remaining for shoving a Texas A&M player on a rebound scrum, just enough time to keep the game suspenseful.</p><p>&#x93;Inexcusable,&#x94; Self said. &#x93;As bad a play as I&#x92;ve seen. He was never engaged in the game.&#x94;</p><p>Jeff Withey ended Texas A&M&#x92;s upset hopes by hitting two free throws with 27 seconds to play and restored a six-point lead.</p><p>Those shots followed a missed three-point attempt by Zack Kinsley that would have cut it to one. The Aggies came out of a timeout and the ball went to Kinsley in the corner, which wasn&#x92;t the first option.</p><p>&#x93;We were trying to drive the ball,&#x94; Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said. &#x93;We had a small lineup in the game and we wanted to drive or shoot the three, which we thought we had an opportunity to make.&#x94;</p><p>Johnson was the key throughout the night. He finished with 21 points, his best Big 12 performance, and was the offensive focal point from the outset, scoring the Jayhawks&#x92; first five points.</p><p>Later in the first half, Johnson made eight straight points that started a 12-0 run, and he buried a three-pointer late in the half that gave him 18 first-half points.</p><p>&#x93;He was huge,&#x94; KU guard Tyshawn Taylor said. &#x93;He got us off to a good start and shot the ball well. We had been kind of waiting for him to get going.&#x94;</p><p>Now, thoughts turn to Missouri, and Self seemed thankful for the chance to take his mind off the game he just watched.</p><p>&#x93;If you had told me coming in here we&#x92;d have won by eight I&#x92;d have been ecstatic,&#x94; Self said. &#x93;But we were up 21, and you saw what happened down the stretch.</p><p>&#x93;But it&#x92;s a good win. We&#x92;re happy we won, but I don&#x92;t feel great about anything. I don&#x92;t think anybody in our locker room is.&#x94;