by Mobile Register

CAROLYN KASTER/Associated PressAmerican's Nick Hendra takes a shot in front of Villanova's Dante Cunningham (33) and Corey Stokes (24) in the first half of Thursday's game at Philadelphia.

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham each scored 25 points, and Villanova rallied back from a 14-point hole to beat upset-minded American 80-67 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night. The third-seeded Wildcats (27-7) lost their home-court advantage and nearly lost the game, needing a late 19-2 run in the East Regional to fend off the Patriot League champions. The 14th-seeded Eagles (24-8) sizzled from 3-point range early and pushed Villanova to the brink of a monumental upset. They just didn't have enough left in their tired legs down the stretch, something the Wildcats exploited in their game-changing spurt. The loss ended the Eagles' 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in the country. Garrison Carr scored 22 points, Derrick Mercer had 17 and Brian Gilmore 16 for American. For 30 minutes, American was poised to escape with the win in only the program's second NCAA tournament game. But Anderson and Cunningham, part of the winningest senior class in Villanova history, refused to let that happen.

Texas 76, Minnesota 62

GREEENSBORO, N.C. - Once A.J. Abrams found his shot, Texas was ready to leave its recent struggles behind and move on in the NCAA tournament. Abrams hit eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points to help Texas beat Minnesota in the first round of the East Regional. Damion James added 18 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Longhorns (23-11), who hit 11 of 20 3s overall to win their tournament opener for the fifth time in six seasons. Texas had lost seven of its last 14 games dating to late January. Lawrence Westbrook scored 19 points for the 10th-seeded Golden Gophers (22-11).

UCLA 65, VCU 64

PHILADELPHIA - A long way from home, UCLA barely kept alive its quest for a fourth straight trip to the Final Four. VCU's Eric Maynor missed a contested 17-footer at the buzzer and the sixth-seeded Bruins held on for a victory over the Rams.

Duke 86, Binghamton 62

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Jon Scheyer and Duke weren't about to let another one of college basketball's little guys scare them again. Scheyer scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures, and the Blue Devils made Binghamton's first appearance in the NCAA tournament a quick one by routing the Bearcats. Lance Thomas added 14 points and Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith added 13 apiece for the Blue Devils.

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