No. 1 UConn wins again; UNC too much for Duke

Associated Press

STORRS, Conn. — Hasheem Thabeet had eight points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks to lead No. 1 Connecticut to its 12th straight victory, 63-49 over No. 23 Syracuse on Wednesday night, the Orange’s fifth loss in six games.

A.J. Price had 17 points for the Huskies (23-1, 11-1 Big East), who have won three games since assuming the No. 1 spot in the AP poll last week.

They overcame a sloppy first half by cutting down the turnovers and hitting 3-pointers, pulling away with a 12-0 run that gave Connecticut a 56-40 lead midway through the second half.

Jonny Flynn had 16 points for Syracuse (18-7, 6-6).

No. 3 North Carolina 101, No. 6 Duke 87

DURHAM, N.C. — Ty Lawson helped Tyler Hansbrough make it four in a row at Cameron Indoor Stadium, while keeping himself perfect against North Carolina’s most despised rival.

Lawson scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, and No. 3 North Carolina rallied past No. 6 Duke 101-87 on Wednesday night.

Hansbrough scored 17 points — and hit another late 3-pointer — for the Tar Heels (22-2, 8-2), who became the first team in nine seasons to hit triple digits against Duke.

Kyle Singler scored 22 points and Jon Scheyer added 20 to lead Duke (20-4, 7-3), which kept up with the uptempo Tar Heels for about 30 minutes before spiraling to its fifth loss in six meetings with its hated rival located 8 miles down Tobacco Road.

N.C. State 82, No. 7 Wake Forest 76

RALEIGH, N.C. — Brandon Costner scored 23 points to help North Carolina State beat a ranked opponent for the first time in five games this season.

Farnold Degand and Courtney Fells added 14 points apiece for the Wolfpack (13-9, 3-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who watched a 20-point second half lead shrink to two before pulling away.

James Johnson scored 18 points to lead the Demon Deacons (18-4, 5-4 ACC),.

No. 8 Memphis 63, Tulsa 37

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Robert Dozier scored a career-high 23 points, Tyreke Evans added 13 and No. 8 Memphis won its 15th straight.

The Tigers (21-3, 9-0 Conference USA) won their 51st consecutive game in league play.

Dayton 71, No. 14 Xavier 58

DAYTON — Chris Wright led a balanced offense with 19 points, and Dayton ended its six-game losing streak against No. 14 Xavier.

Using its depth and balance to full advantage, Dayton (22-3, 8-2) led the entire game against the defending two-time conference champions, who now have to work to make it three in a row.

Xavier (20-4, 8-2) has lost back-to-back games for the second time this season, denting the Musketeers’ chances of a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

No. 20 Purdue 61, Penn State 47

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — JaJuan Johnson had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 20 Purdue moved into a tie for second place in the Big Ten.