TEXAS 76, MINNESOTA 62: Longhorns go long-range
Abrams' barrage of threes vaults Texas past Gophers
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A.J. Abrams' eight three-pointers powered Texas past Minnesota 76-62 Thursday in an NCAA tournament East Regional first-round game.
Abrams finished with 26 points as the Longhorns won their NCAA opener for the fourth straight season.
Damion James added 18 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Longhorns (23-11), who hit 11 of 20 threes overall to put their recent struggles behind them. Texas had lost seven of its past 14 games dating to late January, a frustrating finish to a regular season that began with Texas in the top 10.
Now the Longhorns will get a second-round matchup against Duke on Saturday.
This win began with Abrams, who had a run of six straight threes to blow open a close game and give Texas a comfortable lead midway through the second half against the Golden Gophers (22-11). He finished one shy of a career high for treys, and always seemed to stay relaxed.
''I guess I'm just kind of a laid-back person,'' Abrams said. ''I don't let the excitement just overwhelm me. ... But I know these games are high stakes.''
Lawrence Westbrook scored 19 points for the 10th-seeded Gophers, who were making their first tournament appearance since 2005. It also was Minnesota's first NCAA bid under Tubby Smith.
Minnesota got off to its best start in more than 30 years at 16-1 but closed the season by losing 10 of 16.
The Gophers got the start they wanted Thursday, jumping to a 10-point lead in the opening 3½ minutes, but the Longhorns hung around until Abrams found his range.
''When a guy like Abrams catches fire, that can be trouble for anyone,'' said Damian Johnson, who scored 13 points for Minnesota.
Abrams missed three of his first four deep tries but started finding his range late in the first half. He made a three just before the horn for a 39-35 halftime lead.
That turned out to be the first of six in a row, including a run of threes on four straight possessions. After Abrams' personal 12-0 spurt, Texas' lead reached 59-44 with 10:57 to play. Minnesota never got closer than 12.
''We didn't get our hands up,'' Smith said. ''You can't have your hands down. You've got to make him put it on the floor. We never made him.''
AP
NCAA TOURNAMENT
EAST & SOUTH REGIONS AT GREENSBORO, N.C.