TOP 25 ROUNDUP Pitt wins ninth straight, extends home win streak

Connecticut made a homecoming for Ann Strother a successful one.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH -- Carl Krauser scored a career-high 31 points and No. 10 Pittsburgh held off Richmond 69-60 on Thursday night in the first game between the schools in 66 years.
Chris Taft added 11 points and freshman Ronald Ramon, who replaced injured starter Antonio Graves, had 10 to help the Panthers start 9-0 for the third consecutive season.
The Panthers are 42-1 at home since the Petersen Events Center opened two years ago and have won 24 consecutive non-conference games.
Jermaine Bucknor scored 13 points for the Spiders (4-4), who closed to 62-58 with just over three minutes remaining.
No. 20 George Washington 81, Florida International 71
MIAMI -- T.J. Thompson hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead the Colonials (8-1) to their eighth straight victory. Ivan Almonte had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Panthers (5-5).
No. 24 Maryland 82, American 61
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- John Gilchrist scored 20 points and fueled a 16-0 second-half run. Nik Caner-Medley had 16 points for Maryland (7-2).
Jason Thomas scored 14 points for the Eagles (5-3), whose five-game winning streak ended.
No. 25 Virginia 79,Loyola Marymount 77, OT
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- J.R. Reynolds' driving layup with 1.5 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Cavaliers the win.
Elton Brown scored 25 points for Virginia (8-1), while Sean Singletary added 12, including a key 3-pointer in overtime. Matthew Knight had 27 points for the Lions (7-3).
Women
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kelly Roysland scored 15 points, including 10 straight in a key two-minute span, to lift No. 13 Minnesota to a 74-57 victory over Drake.
Senior all-America center Janel McCarville led the Gophers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Linda Sayavongchanh had 19 points for Drake (5-4), which dressed only eight players.
No. 8 Connecticut 63,Colorado St. 44
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Ann Strother made her homecoming a successful one, scoring a game-high 20 points to help Connecticut avoid its first losing streak in 12 seasons.
Strother made four 3-pointers early to keep the Huskies (5-2) ahead while they were struggling and was key in a late defensive clampdown that turned a close game into a runaway.
Vanessa Espinoza and Melissa Dennett led Colorado State with 11 points each. The Rams only shot 32 percent and went just 1-for-15 from 3-point range.
Barbara Turner had 12 points, and Jessica Moore had 10 points and eight rebounds to help the Huskies avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 1992-93.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.