Pitt outslugs Connecticut for 76-68 win

It was the Panthers’ first win ever over a top-ranked team.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HARTFORD, Conn. — DeJuan Blair had 22 points and 23 rebounds and Levance Fields scored all 10 of his points in the final 3:09 as No. 4 Pittsburgh beat No. 1 Connecticut 76-68 on Monday night, the Panthers’ first win ever over a top-ranked team.

Fields missed his first seven shots from the field but the senior guard gave the Panthers (24-2, 11-2 Big East) the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 3:09 left that made it 64-61. He added another 3 with 2:21 left to make it 67-61, and he added four free throws in the final minute.

A.J. Price had 18 points for the Huskies (24-2, 12-2), who started their third week at No. 1 earlier Monday and had their 13-game winning streak ended.

Sam Young had 25 points for Pittsburgh, which lost all 13 games it had played against No. 1 teams, the last three against Connecticut.

Women

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jasmine Thomas scored 19 points and No. 7 Duke beat No. 13 Tennessee 62-54, the Blue Devils’ third straight win in Knoxville.

Duke (21-3) joins only Texas and Louisiana Tech as teams that have won three straight games on the Lady Volunteers’ home court. The Blue Devils also won in 2004 and 2007.

Duke led 28-26 at halftime, but Tennessee’s Alicia Manning hit 3-pointer and Alex Fuller sank a jumper to tie the game at 28.

The Blue Devils responded with a 16-0 run through an 8-minute drought by the Lady Vols (18-7). Free throws by Bridgette Mitchell with 8:51 left gave Duke a 44-28 lead — its largest of the game.

No. 22 South Dakota State 87, Southern Utah 42

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Jennifer Warkenthien scored 19 points and South Dakota State jumped out to a huge early lead and coasted to its 11th straight victory.