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DALLAS (Ticker) -- Texas had enough to withstand Troy Bell's late surge. Freshman T.J. Ford scored 20 points and added seven assists as the sixth-seeded Longhorns posted a 70-57 first-round victory over No. 11 Boston College in front of a friendly crowd in the Midwest Region. Texas (21-11) used a 21-4 run to build a 41-19 lead with just under four minutes left in the first half. The Longhorns held a 46-27 advantage at halftime. "We just got off to a slow start," Bell said. "The crowd didn't help us. We just could not hit our shots and that was the difference." Bell, who has had an up-and-down season, finally got untracked in the second half and scored 17 of his 27 points. His 3-pointer with 12:48 left cut the deficit to 50-45. The Longhorns embarked on a 9-2 spurt, capped by Fredie Williams' layup for a 59-47 lead with 8:18 left. Bell had a couple of 3-pointers, but Ford fed Deginald Erskin for a dunk and a 63-53 advantage with seven minutes to go. Texas, which had plenty of supporters wearing burnt orange just 1 1/2 hours from campus, faces No. 3 Mississippi State on Sunday. Coach Rick Barnes did not apologize for the advantageous crowd. "They (BC) handled it," he said. "They're a tough team. If they were concerned with it, they didn't show it." Williams started the huge first-half run with a basket. Erskin had six points and Ford added four assists. Two foul shots by James Thomas gave Texas its 22-point cushion. Erskin scored 16 points and Thomas added eight points and 10 rebounds. "I can't tell you how tough he plays," Barnes said. "What he does in the game, he does in practice every day." The game was highlighted by the matchup of Bell and Ford, who led the nation in assists. Bell made 10-of-21 shots, but Ford had the better all-around effort. "I thought Troy controlled him well," BC coach Al Skinner said. "He played with a lot composure and he kept the ball." Bell was forced to go solo in attempting to lead the Eagles (20-12) back. His backcourt mate, Ryan Sidney, had a horrific game, missing all eight shots and failing to score. Boston College's selection to the NCAA Tournament was questioned after a mediocre regular season in which it went just 8-8 in Big East play. The Eagles had just a 4-7 record against the field, with two of the victories coming against Holy Cross. "It means a lot to be here," Sidney said. "A lot of people felt like we did not deserve to be here, but we felt otherwise. To get where we are right now says a lot." The Longhorns have not been to the regional semifinals since 1997. Texas is one of five Big 12 teams left in the field. |
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