COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA TOURNAMENT : SOUTHEAST REGIONAL : Indiana Holds Off Coastal Carolina, 79-69

Third-ranked Indiana built a 15-point lead, then survived Brian Penny’s 23 points in the last 10 minutes and beat unheralded Coastal Carolina, 79-69, Thursday night in the first round of the Southeast Regional.

Indiana (28-4) advanced to Saturday’s second round against seventh-seeded Florida State, a 75-72 winner over USC.

The Hoosiers, seeded second in the region, took a 58-43 lead on Eric Anderson’s basket with 10:10 left before Penny, who had five three-point baskets in the second half and a career-high 34 points, began bombing.

Penny scored the next 17 points for the 15th-seeded Chanticleers, making their first appearance in an NCAA tournament. The spurt started with a three-point shot with 9:51 remaining and Penny added two more three-point baskets in that surge as he outscored the Hoosiers, 17-6, and cut the margin to 64-60 with 3:24 left.

Calbert Cheaney made two free throws for Indiana, but Ed Lesaine made a three-point shot that made the score 66-63 with 2:56 left. Damon Bailey’s three-point basket and two free throws by Anderson gave the Hoosiers a 71-63 cushion with 1:43 left.

But Penny, a senior guard whose previous season high was 29 points two years ago, wasn’t finished.

He made two more three-point shots before Bailey made two free throws to give Indiana a 73-69 lead with 55 seconds left. Penny, who had 25 points and made all 10 of his shots in the second half, didn’t get off another shot and Indiana escaped with the victory.

The Hoosiers were led by Anderson with 22 points, Cheaney with 17 and Matt Nover with a season-high 15. Coastal Carolina (24-8) got 14 points from Robert Dowdell.

No. 12 Kansas 55, New Orleans 49--The Jayhawks earned the victory by holding New Orleans to two baskets in the last 17 minutes.

Kansas (23-7) will play Pittsburgh Saturday in a second-round game.

New Orleans (23-8) managed a 26-26 halftime tie by making 11 of its first 20 shots.

“Their defense pushed us out farther than we wanted to be,” New Orleans forward Tank Collins said. “Trying to dribble and penetrate that far out from the basket made it hard for us.”

Mike Maddox scored 12 points for Kansas and Mark Randall had 10.

Collins and Ervin Johnson each scored 13 points for New Orleans.

Collins made a free throw with 1:06 left and Johnson made two more with 58 seconds left to pull New Orleans to within 52-49.

Kansas clinched the game from the line on one foul shot by Alonzo Jamison with 57 seconds left and two by Adonis Jordan with 15 seconds left.

Pittsburgh 76, Georgia 68 OT--The Panthers got a big game from freshman Tim Glover and a big second half from Brian Shorter against a Bulldog team that was without its leading scorer, Litterial Green, who has a broken hand.

Glover, who had scored only 14 points and played 37 minutes all season, made four three-point shots as Pitt (21-11) rallied from a 10-point deficit against Georgia (17-13).

Shorter scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half.

Two free throws by Rod Cole with 34.4 seconds left in regulation gave Georgia a 66-63 lead. Jason Matthews then made a three-point shot with 24 seconds left to tie the score.