UConn claws it out

Bearcats give Huskies a battle

UConn's Hasheem Thabeet is focused on his rebound battle with Cincinnati's Mike Williams. (Al Behrman/Associated Press)

Playing on the road just seems to bring out the best in Connecticut.

A.J. Price had 22 points, shooting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and the fifth-ranked Huskies flexed their muscles down the stretch to beat Cincinnati, 81-72, yesterday.

The Huskies (14-1, 3-1 Big East) improved to 7-0 on the road while shooting 58 percent from the field. Jeff Adrien added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Jerome Dyson had 12 points.

Deonta Vaughn scored 19 points, Mike Williams 14, and Yancy Gates 12 for Cincinnati (10-6, 0-3), which has lost four in a row on the heels of a four-game winning streak. The Bearcats had been booed off the floor in an 87-79 home loss to Providence Wednesday night, but they fought on relatively even terms with the Huskies.

Connecticut has won three in a row since sustaining its only loss, 74-63, at home to Georgetown, Dec. 29.

This game was nothing like the last meeting between the teams. The Huskies won last March at home, 96-51, in the most lopsided Big East game ever. Cincinnati has never beaten the Huskies in five meetings.

Clinging to a 61-56 lead, the Huskies finally gained some breathing room on Price's perimeter jumper and, after a miss, Kemba Walker's end-to-end drive for a layup and a 65-56 advantage with 6 1/2 minutes left.

"We never had control, but we were on top," Calhoun said. "We got ourselves a really, really well-earned victory."

Duke 66, Florida St. 58 - Gerald Henderson scored a career-high 25 points and the No. 2 Blue Devils took control in Tallahassee, Fla., by scoring the first 9 points of the second half.

Duke (14-1, 2-0 ACC) was ahead, 19-14, at halftime - one of the lowest-scoring first halves in the ACC since a shot clock was introduced in the 1985-86 season - then finished a 41-11 run to build their largest lead of the game, 46-21, with 12:45 left.

Oklahoma 61, Kansas St. 53 - The sixth-ranked Sooners (15-1) opened Big 12 Conference play by grinding out a tough win over the Wildcats (11-4, 0-1) in Manhattan, Kan. Blake Griffin had 29 points and 15 rebounds.

Texas 75, Iowa St. 67 - Damion James had 19 points and the No. 7 Longhorns (12-3) stayed undefeated in 11 conference home openers under coach Rick Barnes.

Michigan St. 75, Kansas 62 - The No. 8 Spartans (13-2) picked up their ninth win in a row, getting 22 points from Kalin Lucas and holding the Jayhawks (11-4) without a field goal for 9 1/2 minutes during the pivotal first half.

Georgetown 82, Providence 75 - Austin Freeman's 18 points helped the ninth-ranked Hoyas (11-3, 2-2 Big East) rally past the Friars in Washington. Providence (11-5, 3-1) led by 4 with 16:15 left, but allowed Georgetown to go on a 15-0 run.

Syracuse 82, Rutgers 66 - At Piscataway, N.J., Paul Harris had 26 points in the seventh consecutive victory for the No. 11 Orange (16-1, 4-0 Big East).

Clemson 63, N.C. State 51 - Trevor Booker scored 23 points as the 12th-ranked Tigers improved to 16-0 with a victory at home. Clemson (2-0 ACC) is within a win of tying the school's best start, accomplished in 1986-87 and matched two years ago.

Notre Dame 88, Seton Hall 79 - The 13th-ranked Fighting Irish (12-3, 3-1) tied a Big East record with their 20th consecutive league win at home as Luke Harangody scored 30 points.

Tennessee 86, Georgia 77 - At Athens, Ga., Tyler Smith tallied 24 points, including 13 in the second half, as the 15th-ranked Volunteers (10-4, 1-0) rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Bulldogs (9-7, 0-1) in each team's SEC opener.

Louisville 61, Villanova 60 - Terrence Williams scored on a drive with 7.4 seconds left to give the 23d-ranked Cardinals (11-3, 2-0 Big East) the lead, and the No. 18 Wildcats (13-3, 1-2) missed two shots down low in the final seconds as Louisville hung on in Philadelphia.

Marquette 75, West Virginia 53 - Jerel McNeal's 26 points sparked the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles (15-2, 4-0 Big East) past the No. 25 Mountaineers (11-4, 1-2) in Milwaukee.

Arizona St. 76, Oregon 58 - Derek Glasser contributed 15 points and a career-high 11 assists for the No. 20 Sun Devils (14-2, 3-1 Pac-10), who routed the Ducks (6-10, 0-4) in Tempe, Ariz., for their 10th win in 11 games.

Butler 54, Detroit 50 - Matt Howard scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, including two free throws with 0.8 seconds left in Indianapolis, to help the 21st-ranked Bulldogs (14-1, 5-0 Horizon) match their best start in school history.

Baylor 73, Texas Tech 61 - LaceDarius Dunn scored 20 points, including 11 in a row in the second-half spurt that put the 23d-ranked Bears (13-2) ahead for good in a Big 12 opener for both teams in Waco, Texas.

Don Meyer of Division 2 Northern State in South Dakota set the record for career wins in men's college basketball, notching No. 903 with an 82-62 victory over the University of Mary (N.D.). Meyer, 64, who coaches from a wheelchair, passed Bob Knight.