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DALLAS (Ticker) -- Mario Austin scored 25 points and Marckell Patterson added 20 as third-seeded Mississippi State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 70-58 victory over McNeese State in the Midwest Region. The Cowboys looked poised for an upset after jumping out to a 25-19 lead with 6:48 left in the first half. "Naturally it's the first stage of the game and the underdog team is able to play more loose," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. "They were the better tema in the first 10 minutes. After that, we were the better team." The Bulldogs responded as Austin scored the first eight points of a 12-0 run to end the first half. "The number one problem was that (Austin) showed up for the game," McNeese State coach Tic Price said. "I was hoping the bus driver would take him to another facility." Austin opened the burst with a pair of layups and sank four straight free throws to give Mississippi State the lead for good, 27-25 with 2:18 remaining. The Bulldogs had a 31-25 halftime advantage, but the Cowboys closed within 33-30 on a 3-pointer by Chauncey Bryant just 2:19 into the second half. Austin answered with a layup and Patterson followed with a basket to spark an 11-0 run. Patterson added a 3-pointer and Austin sank two free throws during the burst, which gave Mississippi State a double-digit lead for good. The Cowboys never got closer than 12 thereafter and the Bulldogs had their largest lead, 58-39, on a fast break layup by Patterson with 8:56 to go. "Mississippi State is the most athletic team at every position that we've faced and perhaps the most physical," Price said. "Mario is by far the most skilled player we've had the opportunity to play against." Mississippi State, which improved to 8-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, will face No. 6 Texas in the second round on Sunday. Timmy Bowers scored 11 points and Derrick Zimmerman chipped in 10 for the Bulldogs, who made 16-of-30 shots in the second half and finished at 46 percent (25-of-54) from the floor. Bowers set a school NCAA Tournament record and tied a career high with five steals. Ontario Harper collected four steals off the bench, also eclipsing the Bulldogs' previous NCAA Tournament record of three. Damond Williams recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds and Fred Gentry added 13 and 10 for McNeese State (21-9), which had a 14-game winning streak snapped. The Cowboys shot just 38 percent (22-of-58) from the floor, including 4-of-16 from 3-point range, and made only 10-of-20 free throws. "Defensively they did a great job." Price said. "When they went into their press, it made it hard to get into a rhythm. We might have lost our poise and composure. I think we caught one of the best teams in the country at a bad time." . |
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