Penn State guard Jalen Pickett (22) is fouled by Texas...

Penn State guard Jalen Pickett (22) is fouled by Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall

DES MOINES, Iowa — Dylan Disu had a season-high 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting, steadying Texas down the stretch after a late Penn State surge and leading the Longhorns to their first regional in 15 years with a 71-66 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

The second-seeded Longhorns (28-8) made just one of 13 shots from 3-point land, so Disu turned this one into a mid-range game. He went 5 for 5 over the final 4 1/2 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds for good measure.

Sir'Jabari Rice scored 13 points for Texas, which will play the Pittsburgh-Xavier winner on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th-seeded Panthers and third-seeded Musketeers meet on Sunday.

Camren Wynter had 16 points for the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions (23-14), who were coming off their first NCAA Tournament victory in 20 years. Second-team All-American Jalen Pickett had 11 points and 10 rebounds with seven turnovers.

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