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Saturday, March 15, 1997

Texas 71, Wisconsin 58

By JEFFREY BAIR Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Reggie Freeman emerged from a horrible shooting slump to score 31 points as seventh-seeded Texas beat a sloppy Wisconsin team 71-58 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Eastern Regional.

Freeman scored 18 points in the second half and made five of eight shots in the first half after shooting just 27.6 percent in six previous games. Texas lost four of those games, including NCAA East selection Colorado's 83-60 blowout on March 1.

Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett, in his first trip to the NCAA Tournament with the Badgers after three appearances with Wisconsin-Green Bay, pulled center and top scorer Paul Grant after Grant got his fourth foul with 11:55 left in the second half and the Badgers trailing 48-38.

Sean Daugherty's basket tightened the score at 53-45 midway through the half, but moments later the ball slipped out of the Wisconsin forward's hands on an open jumper and went out of bounds.

The seventh-seeded Badgers stayed within 10 for a while, but Freeman's consistent shooting kept them from closing the gap. His layup with 3:21 left gave Texas a 13-point lead.

Texas (17-11) opened a 12-3 lead in the game's first 3:56 behind Kris Clack's seven points and aggressive defense that befuddled Badgers guard Henssy Auriantal. Clack finished with 15.

Wisconsin made only four field goals in the first 10 minutes, turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and argued with each other on the court.

Brandy Perryman's 3-pointer gave the Longhorns a 25-11 lead with 8:23 left, but after another Texas score the Badgers (18-10) held Texas scoreless for 4:23. Mike Kosolcharoen's two free throws made it 27-20 with 3:58 left, and Sam Okey's two free throws for Wisconsin closed the first-half scoring with Texas leading 33-24.

Wisconsin had 17 turnovers to Texas' 14. Okey had 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Grant, a 7-foot transfer from Boston College who fouled out with 3:14 left, had 16 points in his last game for only the fifth Wisconsin team to get at least 18 wins in 109 years.

Texas coach Tom Penders is now 7-1 in the first round of the tournament, with five of the wins coming against higher-seeded teams. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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