NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With Texas shooting poorly, Cincinnati grabbed a comfortable lead early — maybe a little too comfortable.
The Bearcats faded but still managed to withstand a late rally by Texas to win 65-59 yesterday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region.
Sixth-seeded Cincinnati (25-10) jumped out to a 16-2 lead while Texas opened the game 1 of 14 and hit 16 percent for the entire first half.
After trailing 31-17 at halftime, the young Longhorns attacked, hitting five of their first seven from 3-point range and shooting 50 percent for the second half. They found the paint a bit more friendly too, after being shut down there in the first half.
With 3:44 to play, Texas’ Jonathan Holmes hit a layup to tie the game 52-52, but the Longhorns couldn’t take the lead. Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates hit a shot with 1:11 to put Cincinnati ahead 58-52, and the Bearcats hit five free throws in the final 36 seconds.
Gates finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati. JaQuon Parker added 13 points.
J’Covan Brown led No. 11 seed Texas (20-14) with 19 points.