Thabeet, UConn make case for No. 1

Hasheem Thabeet said he was surprised Providence kept trying to challenge him inside.

Thabeet tied a school record by blocking 10 shots and recorded his first career triple-double as No. 2 Connecticut staked its claim to the No. 1 spot in the nation with a 94-61 blowout of the Friars yesterday in Storrs, Conn.

The 7-foot-3-inch junior had 15 points and 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive glass.

"They keep coming, and I tell them, 'No you're not going to get an easy shot today,' " Thabeet said.

A.J. Price led UConn (20-1, 9-1 Big East) with 19 points, while Stanley Robinson added 18 and Jeff Adrien 14. It was the Huskies' ninth straight win since losing to Georgetown in the conference opener Dec. 29.

With No. 1 Duke losing earlier in the week to No. 6 Wake Forest and No. 3 Pittsburgh falling to Villanova, UConn is expected to take the top spot in tomorrow's poll.

Randall Hanke had 16 points to lead Providence (14-7, 6-3).

Holy Cross 67, Lehigh 52 - R.J. Evans scored 16 points, Eric Meister had 15, and Andrew Keister 10 as the Crusaders (11-11, 6-1 Patriot) stopped the host Mountain Hawks (13-8, 3-4).

Holy Cross went on a late 8-0 run to lead, 58-45, with three minutes left and hit five free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.

Vermont 83, UNH 39 - Colin McIntosh and Mike Trimboli each had 16 points as the Catamounts (16-6, 7-2) crushed the host Wildcats (8-12, 3-5) to remain in first in America East with their seventh straight win.

BU 72, Hartford 47 - John Holland had 21 points and Corey Lowe had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists as the visiting Terriers (11-9, 6-2 America East) won their fifth straight.

Binghamton 83, Maine 77 - D.J. Rivera had 23 points as the host Bearcats (13-8, 6-3 America East) rallied from a 40-31 deficit at halftime to upend the Black Bears (8-14, 3-6).

Rhode Island 98, La Salle 88 - Kahiem Seawright had 25 points and eight rebounds and Delroy James added 22 points to pace the host Rams (15-7, 4-3 Atlantic 10) to an overtime win.

Princeton 77, Harvard 71 - Dan Mavraides had 10 of his team-high 21 points in the final 2:20 as the visiting Tigers (7-8, 2-0 Ivy) sank 5 of 7 3-pointers in the second half to beat the Crimson (9-9, 1-3), who were led by Jeremy Lin's 27 points.

Columbia 65, Brown 59 - Patrick Foley (10 points) scored the first 5 points of an 11-2 run midway through the second half that propelled the Lions (7-11, 2-2 Ivy) past the visiting Bears (6-12, 0-4).

Dartmouth 63, Penn 60 - Dan Biber's layup and free throw snapped a 60-all tie in the final seconds to lift the Big Green (4-13, 2-1 Ivy) past the visiting Quakers (5-11, 1-1).

Cornell 64, Yale 36 - Jeff Foote had 18 points, and Louis Dale added 10 points and six rebounds to power the host Big Red (14-6, 4-0 Ivy).

Bentley 86, Merrimack 79 - Brian Tracey came off the bench to score 22 points, and Jason Westrol collected 10 of his 18 points during a game-ending 12-4 run as the host Falcons (18-4, 12-3) stretched their winning streak to nine with a Northeast-10 victory over the Warriors (15-5, 11-4).

UMass-Lowell 65, Southern N.H. 59 - Freshman Kyle Caiola scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and the River Hawks (17-3, 12-3 NE-10) toppled the visiting Penmen (10-10, 6-9) for their 13th straight victory - one shy of the school record.

Colby 81, Amherst 76 - Artie Cutrone scored 32 points, going 19 for 24 from the foul line, as the host Mules (13-5, 4-1) handed the Lord Jeffs (16-3, 4-1), ranked 16th in Division 3, their first NESCAC loss.

Middlebury 67, Williams 62 - Ben Rudin had 15 points and four assists and Aaron Smith added 14 points as the 19th-ranked Panthers (18-2, 5-0 NESCAC) upended the visiting Ephs (14-6, 4-1).

UMass-Dartmouth 81, Southern Maine 56 - Brandon Shelton's 17-point, eight-rebound performance helped the visiting Corsairs (16-2, 8-1 Little East), who are ranked 18th in Division 3, roll over the Huskies (4-15, 1-8).

UMass-Boston 75, Eastern Conn. 69 - Led by A.J. Titus (21 points) and Pat Joseph (20 points, 12 rebounds), the visiting Beacons (3-16, 1-8 Little East) beat the Warriors.

MIT 85, Wheaton 60 - Jimmy Bartolotta (39 points) became the first player in MIT history to surpass 2,000 career points as the host Engineers (14-5, 6-1 NEWMAC) rolled over the Lyons (12-8, 4-3).